The Seven Week Spring Project
by Eilwynn
Summary: Iruka assigns partner projects during the Academy pre-canon era. Two partners have to learn ten important facts about each other over the course of seven weeks. He pairs Naruto with Hinata, Sakura with Sasuke - and offers a pen pal on the side. What could go wrong with that, right? Sometimes love comes from strange places. The SasuHina GaaSaku story nobody asked for. DAILY UPDATES.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay. So there's a whole story behind this one.

I had this idea, and I wrote the whole book in the space of a few weeks. I put everything I had into this story. I don't know why this one was such a deep emotional investment and personal journey for me, but it was. I nearly made myself sick finishing it. The whole novel is finished.

But for a while, I couldn't post it. The emotional investment was too deep. And after that I was so distraught I didn't even look at this story for a whole month. A lot happened in that month - including me going through a self identity crisis, getting a job, and coming out the other side stronger for it.

I think I'm finally ready to let the world see this story, and get back into starting writing for book two. I will only start posting each book after I finish them. This is book one. It covers the Academy's last year and is eleven chapters long.

With that said, please treat this story gently. For my longtime readers, it is the first one I deeply care about since The Right to Live. It is my baby. Please try to be nice to it, and give it a chance to wow you. It is paced and described like a normal novel.

And finally, enjoy.

* * *

 _Series: The Healer and the Hunter, The Monster and the Flower_

 **Book One: The Seven Week Spring Project**

Chapter One

Iruka was nervous the day he announced the assignment. He was shifting from foot to foot as he got his coffee in the teacher's break room before class. The creaky old coffee maker rumbled and squealed in front of him on the table, before finally gasping out a long stream of steaming hot dark liquid.

"You're sure you can do this, Iruka?" He turned around. Mizuki was smiling jokingly from the doorway, his long silver hair falling in carefully layered waves around his young face. "You're really going out on a limb here. A lot of people are saying personal contact has no place in the world of the shinobi."

Iruka smiled, feeling a churning kind of nauseousness. "I know what I'm doing," he said, trying to be polite.

"Hey, it's not me you have to convince!" Mizuki laughed. "I'm not the one saying it!"

"It's not _them_ I have to convince either," said Iruka wryly, with an irritable jerk of his head toward the general direction of the rest of the Konoha Ninja Academy outside the door of the tiny, humble break room filled with tables and chairs and threadbare commercial carpet.

"It's Hokage-sama," Mizuki realized, sobering. "Yeah. Good luck."

"Thanks," said Iruka as Mizuki left, though he wasn't sure Mizuki hadn't meant it in an ironic way.

The Hokage had taken some convincing.

"We're always talking about the importance of comradeship among the fighting forces of Konoha," Iruka had said in the meeting before the Hokage's grand mahogany, gold-gilded desk, leaning forward in his cushioned chair intently. "What if we started that earlier? The students training at the Academy don't understand it yet, but when they go out into the village fighting force as shinobi ninja, many of their classmates will turn into their peers, their comrades, their fighting team members. Wouldn't it be good for them to have some practice getting to know at least one person closely? It's an important skill to cultivate. If we don't know someone, we can't really love them - not in any sense."

The Hokage, a tiny old man with a sagging, lined, and pockmarked face, had sat back and taken a puff on his wood pipe, smoke furling out from his nose and mouth. His silver goatee was always immaculate, as were his Hokage's robes, but with his chosen summons his adversaries had taken to calling him "monkey man" behind his back. When Iruka scolded people for this, he was laughed at. He tried not to think of this as the Hokage gave him the silent and razor-sharp staring cross-examination of someone who had led a major Hidden Village through more than one war.

"You always were idealistic, Iruka. It's why I like you," said the Hokage at last. Iruka's heart sank; he sensed a wholly humiliating 'no' coming his way. "Since we seem to be trying to live in a more idealistic time these days, I will allow it." Iruka's head shot up. "But as usual I want weekly reports on the students, and I had better see real results - changes in how they behave towards one another.

"After all, there are the beginning Genin teams to think of."

Iruka had bowed his head. "Yes, Hokage-sama," he had said softly.

A lot was riding on this. It was wholly Iruka's idea, Iruka's project. He knew people were laughing at him behind his back; with his zeal and his idealism it was not an infrequent occurrence. Iruka was used to this - he'd been the class clown in school himself - and it didn't bother him the way it used to.

He took a deep, bracing breath, grabbed his coffee, banged out the break room door, and headed down the squeaky linoleum hallway for class, past countless classroom doors until after what seemed like ages he reached his own. The walk felt longer than usual. He entered his classroom, put down his eggshell white and brown mug, and shuffled around some papers on his teacher's desk, just for something to do amidst the buzz of loud chatter around him that usually meant the clock near the top of the far left wall hadn't hit eight yet.

Spread out around him were long, wide tiers, a bit like one side of a wedding cake, leading in a great ascending arc up to the top of the room, where there was another door into the classroom. Each tier carried three tables, and each table could sit three to four students. Konoha Ninja Academy students were much like preteens in other places - excepting for the fighting-ready outfits and the weapons and equipment holsters tied to their thighs.

They didn't have dark bands tied to someplace on their bodies with the Konoha symbol on them, nor did they have dark forest green flak vests. Those were reserved for Konoha ninja, often older and higher ranked Konoha ninja - teachers, for example, like Iruka, who was wearing both himself, the hitai-ate band wrapped around his forehead above his brown ponytail and the wide Umino Clan marking across the bridge of his nose.

Sunlight sparkled through the dappled green leaves of an outside tree and then through the huge crystalline far right window, shining into the classroom. It was spring. The window was slightly open to let in a breeze and bees buzzed around white flowers on the tree outside.

The clock hit eight.

"Can I have your attention, please?" Iruka clapped. The hubbub quieted down into total, expectant silence. "I have a new project to announce today. Not to worry - it's not intensive, and you will have several weeks to complete it. See? The easiest assignment you'll get during your tenure at the Ninja Academy."

Maybe. He hoped. He could feel a distinct note of suspicion in the air from his students. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Students will be paired up by me," Iruka continued. "They will have to learn ten important facts about each other over the course of the next several weeks. Now, these aren't facts like what their favorite food is. These are facts about their life, or their past, or insights into their personality and hobbies. I want you to really try for this - get to know a comrade better. At the end, you will submit an essay talking about the ten things you learned from this person."

He was passing piles of assignment sheets down the front row. Each person in front took a paper and passed their pile directly backwards, frowning down at the sheet. Now the students looked confused. Iruka, his palms sweaty and clasped together behind his carefully poised back, could see them wondering: Why were they being given this assignment as ninja?

He decided not to tell them this was a new experiment he was trialing. Too much potential ammunition. Best simply not to say anything at all.

"Your deadline and all other details are on the sheet of paper being passed back to you. You have seven weeks, starting Monday. Grade weight details are also on this paper. As you can see, this is not as big as an exam but it's still a pretty significant project. Gives you more incentive to finish well.

"Now. A few final rules before I announce partners. You are allowed to switch partners once with another person - just once - if both pairings are willing and still think they can finish in time. Notify me if you do.

"I also have an extra credit anonymous email or letter exchange of this same kind available with someone from a foreign country, if anyone wants to take me up on that offer. It is this same idea, but applied to international relations." He waved his hands wide, the theatrical sort of enthusiastic gesture that he thought might be part of the reason for the other adults' snickers behind his back. "Again, however, it is only extra credit. You will still have to get to know someone in your class either way.

"I will now announce the partners."

He took up a sheet of paper from his teacher's desk and read off the names carefully, getting many and varied reactions as he went along. He had made these partnerships while taking into account student personalities and relationships.

There was one threesome, there being an odd number of students. "Because of uneven student numbers, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji are our one group of three!" he called. More than one member of the threesome moaned from their seats. Shikamaru and Chouji disliked Ino about as much as Ino disliked them.

But everyone, even the threesome, was paired according to personal foibles. For example, he had paired Haruno Sakura with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto with Hyuuga Hinata.

Sakura was a Sasuke fangirl, but he thought one of the more reasonable ones. Iruka thought Sakura, so brilliant and sensitive in class, stood the best chance of seeing that all this time crushing on him she hadn't really understood or gotten to know Sasuke at all. Perhaps better understanding could be fostered between them. And Sasuke, handsome and talented but cool, calm, and icy with a dark and dour, serious and quiet demeanor, could do with being close to anyone.

Naruto had a crush on Sakura, but Hinata had a crush on Naruto. Sakura was deeply irritated by Naruto; a forward and emotional girl by nature, she hated his loud-mouthed class clown persona and rather dim overt intellect. Naruto was not and never would be brilliant Sakura's type; the most they could hope for was friendship, and Iruka thought in this assignment they might just irritate each other. Meanwhile, Hinata was a shy and gentle shrinking violet, but she had a good heart. She could deal more calmly with Naruto, and Iruka thought Naruto should be paired with someone who appreciated him and stood loyal to him for what he was, instead of getting on his case about what he was not.

So: "Haruno Sakura with Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto with Hyuuga Hinata."

Sakura cheered enthusiastically, "I get Sasuke-kun!" Every other fangirl in the room looked envious and outraged, and a delighted, grinning, competitive Haruno Sakura could clearly care less.

Naruto complained loudly, "Hey, I wanted to be with Sakura-chan!"

Sakura bopped Naruto lightly over the back of the head from the table above him to shut him up, scowling. "Don't complain about what the teacher assigned, idiot!"

The other two didn't speak. Sasuke looked annoyed, like he didn't even want to be doing this. Hinata looked hesitant, cautious, but hopeful, glancing smiling in Naruto's direction.

And Iruka told himself he wasn't playing matchmaker with his students. He really wasn't.

The rest of the morning passed by as normal and when he'd released his students in a loud, excited flood through the top door to lunch, Iruka headed with relief through the bottom door and down the Academy hallway, back to the break room. He paused outside the door, hearing voices and his own name spoken within.

"You really think this project will work?"

"Nah, Iruka's always doing something weird." A few chuckles.

"Poor thing. He tries so hard. Don't pick on him."

"Well, he is a bit slow, and a little ridiculous."

"He has a good heart."

"Good hearts don't always get you very far as a ninja. Why do you think he's still teaching here but not headmaster yet? No promotion, eh? And he loses his temper with too many kids to like them."

"Well, they do make fun of him."

"Yeah, but he's so weird! Always grinning and theatrically waving his arms around like this, like a bird!" Laughter at a probable impersonation. "And he likes hot spring visits, massages, manicures, and pedicures. I don't even know many kunoichi women who are into that kind of stuff. What kind of a man is he?"

Iruka swallowed a lump in his throat that just ended up going down into his chest, feeling every bit the awkward, overly eager dork. He took a deep breath, straightened, put on his pleasant face, and burst into the room.

"Hello, everyone -!" he called cheerily.

Maybe nothing significant would come of this project at all. But the person who never tried anything never discovered if anything worked, Iruka had decided long ago.

* * *

"Why do _you_ get to be with him?!" Yamanaka Ino demanded of Sakura just outside the main Academy building front doors into the central courtyard. The Academy was a long series of forbidding brick buildings with multiple stories that went around a big central courtyard in a semicircle. The courtyard carried dirt, grass, and trees, flat space broken by tall trunks with finger-like branches reaching up toward the hot clear blue sky. Insects buzzed past them in the shimmering heat. There were training fields out back behind the buildings. Even the buildings themselves showed an unusual amount of color on this day, the dark revealing a bit of red inside it in the sunshine. Sakura decided that was a good omen.

"Because I'm better, and love conquers all!" Sakura told her fellow fangirl, grinning, and then she stuck out her tongue as Ino positively _seethed_. It was delightful. "Now if you'll excuse me," said Sakura smugly, "I have to go find my work partner."

"You lucky little -!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called, and scampered off after him. To her delight, he was waiting for her impatiently on the edge of the courtyard. Right as she got near him, he turned abruptly and began walking, leaving her to follow him toward the farthest left building that almost abutted the wide paved avenue beyond the grounds.

"So," Sakura began, chattering into the silence, "are you ready to begin our project? Because I know I am! I want to hear all about your life, and your interests, and your -!"

"Are you alright with eating in an empty upstairs classroom? It's where I usually eat." The interruption came so neutral and abrupt that Sakura was momentarily thrown off guard.

"Oh, uh - of course!" Sakura reached back in her memory bank. "Are you nervous and shy? It's okay if you are. You don't do much socializing, huh?" She nodded. "I know all about that. It's okay," she said positively.

Sasuke gave her an odd look, but said nothing. Well this wasn't going swimmingly. That was okay, though - they had time. She supposed she shouldn't expect him to open up so immediately.

Yet again, she gave him a sideways glance and admired how handsome he was. All the girls thought so; well, everyone seemed to except for that Hinata girl, Sakura wasn't sure she trusted that. Who wouldn't immediately love Sasuke? Tall, pale, lithely muscular, dark, and handsome, he was almost absurdly the pretty boy, and he wore the dark and navy clothes to match. He had deep jet black eyes that his dark hair fell into, and he was reserved and cool, and he was so talented at everything to do with fighting and so icy and brave, and - ah, he was perfect! She didn't care how little he said!

Eagerly, she continued, "Do you want to know all about my life? I can tell you!" And she began chattering away, filling what she saw as an uncomfortable silence in which Sasuke was simply not adept with words, kind of shy, and did not know what to say.

He would open up. Of course he would. And he would appreciate her efforts.

* * *

Sasuke sat in his usual empty classroom, which was today filled with an unusual amount of chatter. Haruno Sakura still hadn't stopped talking as they ate lunch. She seemed to have assumed he was shy and socially inept. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He really wasn't. He just didn't always have much to say, especially not in the face of such… enthusiasm. On a ninja level, this whole assignment baffled him, anyway. He didn't see the point.

So far, he had learned that her parents argued a lot and she didn't get along with them, that she came from a rather humble background in shinobi terms, that she loved books and puzzles and sweets, that she had very sensitive senses and couldn't stand loud noises and spicy food, that she had a very fat pet ginger colored cat, and that she used to be friends with Yamanaka Ino back before they'd started bickering over him.

It all came so easily. He supposed reluctantly that he should say something at least surface about himself, even if he didn't really want to.

Sakura was pretty, he'd give the Uzumaki dipshit that. She was small and slim with long soft pink hair and big bright leaf green eyes. Her face was in a heart shape and as her fighting outfit she wore a little red summer dress with shorts underneath.

She was just… very… something. He wasn't sure he could put his finger on what it was he found so grating.

Suddenly, he interrupted her. "Why do you think we were given this assignment?" She paused in surprise. "You're intelligent," he allowed, which was clearly true in their class exercises. "Your tactical and academic marks are superb. Why would we be asked to profile people not seen as a threat… as ninja?"

It still baffled him.

"Hm. Well, it's probably to foster comradeship and connections, that sort of thing," said Sakura knowledgeably. She seemed hopeful he'd ask her to elaborate, but he didn't. That was the sort of general answer he'd expected, and it left him dispirited.

"This just seems like such a waste of time," he scoffed. Sakura wilted and went quiet. "Well - I didn't mean you," he sighed in frustration, realizing they weren't connecting at all. "You're not a waste of time. The project itself… Look, I suppose you want to know something about me."

Sakura brightened. "Yes!"

Sasuke looked down quietly. "I'm an orphan," he said. "My clan was one of the biggest in the village, but they died. I work out a lot in my spare time. I like tomatoes, in salads and rice balls, things like that. I like cats, but I don't necessarily have a specific pet. I don't really have any close friends. Just lots of… distant popularity."

It was a lot for him to just tell anyone about himself. Sakura listened closely, and then immediately pounced in a bossy sort of voice.

"What exactly happened to your clan? You seem so smart; don't you do any reading? Is health a big thing to you? Why don't you get a cat? Is it because you're shy that you don't have any friends? Would you like some? I can help!"

She immediately pressed him searchingly for more information. Apparently what he'd already given wasn't enough to talk about.

He closed his obento pail abruptly, feeling irrationally angry. Sakura flinched. "I think that's all the sharing for today," he said coldly, and he wasn't sure what his face looked like.

"Hey!" said Sakura, a little upset. "Don't be like that! I shared a lot more with you! I elaborated!"

"I know. And I didn't ask you to," said Sasuke. He realized he was being kind of an asshole, but he also thought it was a good point. He went to staring out the window, not in a sulky way, just quietly, trying to enjoy the view and ignore what was happening in the classroom.

"Look," said Sakura crossly, "being shy is no reason to -"

"Of course I read, but it doesn't overly interest me. And I'm not shy. I don't want anymore social contact than I already have. I'm not prone to long, philosophical conversations and I'm not interested in elaborating. I'm just quiet. And I don't like people who talk at me." Sasuke sighed. "Now I sound whiny. This is a disaster.

"Look, lunchtime is up, let's just go back."

He stood, realizing Sakura looked visibly upset but not sure what to do about it.

"I'm sorry," he said, but he felt helpless in the face of such potent emotion. It was the sort of thing that always made him irrationally want to hide, an urge he would never give into no matter how much he wanted to.

* * *

At the beginning of lunch, Hinata walked up shyly to Naruto, playing with her fingers. He was watching Sakura morosely from across the courtyard, sulking. Hinata stood there patiently, waiting for him in silence.

Naruto was not conventionally handsome, but Hinata didn't care much about things like that. It was why Uchiha Sasuke didn't overly interest her. She liked people who uplifted her and made her feel good, who were good people, and Naruto was his own little ball of sunshine. He wore bright orange, had a messy head of blond hair and ocean blue eyes, bore a round face with mischievous whisker-like cheek markings, and his expression carried a wide grin.

Well. Usually.

Naruto looked around and jumped. "Hey, wow! I didn't see you there!" he said to Hinata in surprise. Hinata sighed. That was a common problem for her. "That's so ninja of you," he said, oblivious and impressed.

"... Thank you," said Hinata, though she suspected it was a little less ninja and a little more doormat.

"Uh, sorry, I was -" he began awkwardly, half looking over to where he'd been staring at Sakura.

"It's quite alright," said Hinata firmly, even though it hurt her how much he was interested in someone else. "I understand. You care about her and it must be disappointing."

"You know, you should talk louder. I can barely hear you," said Naruto matter of factly, and Hinata retreated even further inside herself. "Come on. Let's go eat lunch!" He jumped, ninja-like, up to the nearest roof. "I like high places!" he called down to her.

"O… Okay!" said Hinata, wide-eyed, feeling a little like she was being pulled along by a tidal wave, and she leaped off after him.

Maybe this was what it was like being with someone so clearly heroic, the one who had saved her from those bullies that day as children long ago. Maybe it was just like being pulled along by a tidal wave.

* * *

Naruto spent a long time talking to Hinata on the sunny hot Academy roof about nothing in particular, and she sat there quietly and let him. He complained about Sakura, about Sasuke, about Iruka.

"And she's in love with this total dick, and he thinks he's so cool but he's not, and Iruka-sensei's always getting on my case about -! Well, everything, really," Naruto finished.

He looked sideways at Hinata. She really was pretty quiet, wasn't she?

"Hinata, wasn't it? Sorry, I just always knew you as weird quiet girl," he said, not meaning any offense and grinning. Hinata blushed furiously, seeming more embarrassed than angry. "Don't you have any questions for me?"

"Well… why do you think it is that you like Sakura and dislike Sasuke so much?" Hinata asked softly. "Because I always kind of thought… you know, in a way Sakura's like you. Always wanting acknowledgement.

"I can understand that. I've always wanted acknowledgement, too.

"And Sasuke… well, I understand he can be a bit much sometimes, but he is alone, like you."

She was still so soft spoken.

"... Yeah." Naruto laughed nervously, leaning back against the flat roof, and there was an awkward silence. Naruto privately didn't know what to do with understanding, and he even less wanted to talk about the deeper subjects. That wasn't what he'd expected with this unusually fun class project.

"Sorry," Hinata said suddenly, ducking her head, her face heating up again.

"For what? It's no problem. You apologize a lot," said Naruto curiously, still leaning back against the roof.

"Sorry!"

Naruto laughed. Hinata was kind of cute, he'd admit, tiny and curvy with a pale moon face, short blue-black hair, and big violet-silvery eyes with no pupils. She wore lots of reserved sweaters and pants. And she blushed and was shy and embarrassed a lot.

This was getting interesting.

"We… we should talk about hobbies," Hinata forced out, looking down at her clenched fists in her lap and sounding oddly humiliated.

"Well, okay," said Naruto, nonplussed. "I like playing pranks… and taking care of plants."

"You garden!" Hinata seemed to capitalize rather eagerly on this.

"Yup." Naruto shrugged. "You?" he added curiously.

"Well… I like baking, flower pressing and crafting, and I like making herbal remedies," said Hinata, smiling a little shy, glowing smile.

"Okay. Well, that's that part done," said Naruto, not bothering to see Hinata's expression. She said nothing, so he assumed she was fine.

He sat up, grinning, and looked around the courtyard. "Maybe I should prank someone talking to their partner," he said mischievously. "Really heat things up. Maybe I'll prank Kiba. He got an ugly girl. I bet if I made fart noises she'd be really embarrassed." He snickered.

Hinata frowned. "Naruto-kun…" she said softly, "that's kind of mean…"

"What?!" Naruto looked around to her, blinking big blue eyes. "You still talk too quietly! Eh, it's alright." He shrugged and stood before she could speak. "I'll just be back in a few minutes." He leaped away, Hinata's mouth open after him.

"Okay…" he finally heard a soft, uncertain voice say.

* * *

The last bell for the afternoon rang.

At the end of the day, as people were packing up in the classroom with a great shuffling to go home, Iruka shouted somewhat desperately, "Remember your partners! Maybe exchange numbers and meet to talk this weekend?"

And so, shouting over each other in a great round of chatter, partners began exchanging phone numbers there in the classroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sakura two hundred percent treated her weekend afternoon out with Sasuke as a first date. And she planned accordingly. Wouldn't all those girls be so jealous? And it was _her_ who had won going out with him, after all.

Sakura planned what she considered to be the perfect first date. A trip to a technology and modern art museum, and then a trip down thrift store and junk shop row.

She hummed and smiled whimsically to herself as she got dressed in a short little red dress with white polka dots sort of affair, breezy and fun, and did her glossy pink hair up really pretty with butterfly clips all around her head. She applied some makeup, and smiled to herself in her bedroom mirror, curling her shoulder playfully, delighted. Her slim, willowy form made her look thin and bony with low-slung hips and her forehead was a little wide above a delicate little bird face, but, well, you couldn't have everything in life.

Sakura's desk and study space was the main focus of her bedroom. It had floating shelves with framed prints and photos, a white and pastel theme, and lots of organized essentials. The desk itself was slender, with a fur throw over the white wicker desk chair and a marble effect light.

Finally, Sakura took a deep breath, grabbed her little string purse like it was a weapon, slid into her strappy brown sandals - and thundered out of her bedroom, down the stairs, and straight out the front door of her two-story red-brick townhouse painted gaudy bright colors.

"Sakura, where are you going out like that -?!" her mother called from the kitchen, alarmed.

"Just to meet a guy!" Sakura said quickly over her shoulder.

"Sakura, wait -!"

But the screen door had slammed behind Sakura and she was gone, running off, exultant, down the steps and out into the street. What Mom didn't know couldn't hurt her!

She half-ran ecstatically to her meeting place, and then slowed so she didn't get sweaty. She traversed the streets full of little buildings and shops, and finally paused in the heat underneath an unlit lamp post on a street corner. She had texted Sasuke, and this was where they had agreed to meet.

He was on time - big plus. He appeared in his normal clothes, hands in his pockets, and walked up to her. He was not, as she had hoped, carrying a sprig of wildflowers. What, after all, did she think this was, a fairy tale, she scolded herself? He gave her a single once-over, and then looked away, neutral and oddly restless.

"So what did you want to do?" he asked, not unkindly but not with the kind of singular intensity focus on her she had hoped for. He seemed like he was trying to give off not too much pressure, not too many strings attached at first.

"Well," said Sakura shyly, "I was thinking we could go to this local technology and modern art museum, and then head down thrift store and junk shop row."

He gave her an odd look. "Okay," he said, shrugging, after an indefinable pause.

They walked down the street together. Sakura kept hoping he'd quietly slip his hand into hers, but again, this was not a fairy tale - and he didn't. Such shy and emotional shows of affection, even subtle, did not come spontaneously to her from Sasuke. Rather, he was looking around the street as they walked, his expression unusually easy.

"You ever look at someone and wonder if they hate their kids?" he said suddenly in quiet amusement.

He was half-smirking, almost smiling, as if knowing he'd said the impolite thing, watching a man with an obviously short temper try to grab at and keep his running, shrieking kids in line on the sidewalk across the paved, street pole-lined avenue filled with colorful little buildings and neatly planted trees.

"Oh, uh - I guess," Sakura laughed nervously, wanting to agree. "I don't know, I think all little kids are cute in different ways."

"Well, I didn't mean - never mind." He didn't seem angry, but he'd retreated inside himself again, and Sakura got the strangest feeling she'd reacted the wrong way.

They walked the rest of the route to the museum in awkward silence.

Once they'd entered the museum - each paying for their own ticket - things didn't really get any better. It was a wide, echoing, white abstract art wall and marble tile sort of affair. Sasuke showed mild interest in the old technology displays, but seemed quietly neutral and disinterested in the art. She kept pointing things out to him brightly, but though he listened, he didn't respond to anything - not to philosophical implications or political statements, let alone to the actual details of the art or the literature that sometimes inspired the art.

She just couldn't get him to talk - about anything interesting. He actually seemed more interested in watching the other patrons than paying attention to what was on the walls.

He was perfectly polite. He did listen. But it didn't go at all like she'd pictured it in her head. He was damn near silent.

She'd assumed if she talked enough, said the most fascinating things, he'd be willing to open up. She began to feel like a nerd, assuming Sasuke would be interested in the same things as her. He hadn't even complimented her outfit - and she'd purposefully tried to seem bright, pretty, cheerful, warm, and girly for him. It was like that… wasn't what he wanted.

They left the museum early and went to the thrift stores and junk shops down that row. "Wow, look at all this," Sakura breathed, walking into their first store, which was lovely, dusty, and cluttered, with racks of old-fashioned clothes scattered throughout the space. "Look at all that old history… That must be at least a hundred years old!" she said suddenly, pointing at a tea set a far distance away.

A beat. "Yeah. It's nice," said Sasuke awkwardly, and she got the sudden feeling, as he looked down with his hands in his pockets, that this was as embarrassing for him as it was for her.

She felt sudden tender sympathy, softening.

So she led him through the store, chatting about things on display, trying to get him to open up to different ideas. He finally did - but not in the way she'd hoped for. She was showing him a colorful leather vest full of frills, embroidery, and beads.

" _That_ ," he said suddenly with distinct certainty and a certain kind of awe, "is _hideous_."

Sakura felt a lump in her throat. She'd shown him because she'd liked it. "Well… I think it has a quirky kind of charm…" she said carefully, falsely positive.

Sasuke snorted, but said, "Sure." Again, it seemed like amusement was trying to break through - but Sakura wasn't entirely sure how to connect to Sasuke's peculiar brand of quiet amusement.

They walked home in a calmer quiet, with relative uncertainty. At least they were becoming more comfortable around each other, Sakura thought, but she felt a bit defeated by the day.

They paused on her front step. "I had a really nice time," Sakura lied, still hopeful.

"Yeah. Me, too," he said, quietly but with surprising warmth. "Thanks for the day." He actually seemed… sincere? Like he appreciated her for trying?

Sakura took a deep breath, closed her eyes, leaned forward to kiss him, maybe wanting to pleasantly surprise him a bit and give him a nice, playful little thrill… and she stumbled. She had tried to lean towards air. She paused halfway down her front steps, eyes flying wide open, and saw Sasuke already walking away, his back to her. He hadn't seen the kiss attempt.

He turned back to her, puzzled, as she stumbled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Fine!" Sakura laughed, feeling like she was dying inside.

"Okay." He was still frowning. "I feel like I got to know you better for our project. This was good," he said positively. And he walked away.

She had shown him everything she loved and she knew nothing about him except that none of the things she'd been dreaming of for years were true. The boy she had grown her hair out long for… maybe he didn't exist outside of good looks and poised reserve.

He hadn't even known it was a date.

Sakura sat down on her front steps after he was gone and cried. She didn't want Ino, her neighbor and ex-friend, to see her out here - but she didn't want her Mom to see her tears in there and pounce, either.

At last, she sniffled, wiped her eyes, and muttered to herself, "Suck it up. Be a big girl." Her voice was slightly watery.

She put her chin in her hand and sighed. "Maybe he just needs some time to warm up…" she whispered to herself.

That was right! She rallied herself, straightening, determined. After all this time, with this amazing opportunity, she couldn't give up just yet! Maybe he just needed some time.

"We have seven weeks," she told herself in determination. "I'm giving him two."

She would take note to herself of what happened each and every single day of those two Academy weeks.

* * *

Hinata got dressed in unusually form fitting clothes for her, for her weekend afternoon date with Naruto, skittering nervously around her bedroom to get ready. She wanted something a little old-fashioned and reserved, yet bubbly and pretty.

So she went for a long poodle skirt and form fitting shirt, and a scarf kerchief. Her curves were obvious and on full display, a tiny little hourglass with round dimples, but she decided to be okay with that. She put a little fake white daisy flower in her short dark hair for a final, playful touch.

She stared at herself in the bedroom mirror, shifting from foot to foot. She tried doing a pose - and felt stupid. She shook her head at herself. No, that wasn't her. She tried to stand tall and straight, elegant. She felt a little stuck up, and so gave a peaceful little smile.

Yeah, she decided, jittery - that would work.

Hinata's bedroom was focused on colorful craft styles, warm patterns. The center of her room was the comfy chairs and cushions everywhere. There were bean bags, armchairs, polka dots, bunting, and crochet. Fun prints, textures, and patterns were all mixed together. Warm orange and yellow tones were evened out with pale blues, blacks, and whites.

Finally, Hinata grabbed a little handbag, slid into some navy slip-on walking shoes, and padded out of her room, looked both ways, peeking around her doorway - and she snuck out of the vast Hyuuga Clan compound. Down thin slivers of paved roads, past small buildings, toward the gates, going faster and faster -

And at last! Freedom! Being a doormat came in handy!

She burst through the gates, exultant and triumphant, and hurried brightly to their scheduled meeting place, a little Konoha street bench on a wide, paved avenue. She sat down on the green bench, appearing there first…

And she waited. And waited.

Had she gotten the time, place, or day wrong? Worse, had he forgotten? She pictured with painful, terrified humiliation what it would feel like if she just sat there and waited all day, and he never appeared.

But then she saw his orange dot in the distance. She jumped up, thrilled -! And then forced herself to sit back down on the bench and wait patiently.

She had to at least fake casual confidence, didn't she?

"Hi, Hinata!" Naruto jumped up before her, beaming.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun!" She stood up with for once equal eagerness, her hands clasped before herself.

She saw in disappointment that his hands were empty. She'd been hoping for some flowers, maybe for some elegant white lilies. Perhaps that was a foolish hope.

He didn't say she looked nice. Perhaps that had been a foolish hope as well. She told herself to be… realistic.

"So, what are we doing?" Naruto asked. "You said you had something planned…" He ran his fingers absently through his messy blond hair, casual, his blue eyes hazy. He was even still in his normal clothes, which somehow fit him.

"Yes, unless you had something?" she asked quietly.

"Uh, no. Go ahead," he said, seeming nonplussed but curious.

"Well." She smiled. "I thought we could head to the park on the south side of the village. We could take a stroll through the avenue, and it leads right to this little hiking trail? And we'd have plenty of time to talk, and just see what we see… I go there a lot to gather herbs for my remedies, or flowers for my flower pressing.

"And then there's this little old-fashioned, retro diner that I thought we could go to, and grab a bite to eat. As a baker and a cook, I can safely it is the best food in town. Sound good?" she said hopefully, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet.

"Sure! Let's do it!" said Naruto, and he strolled right past her down the avenue.

"Er - Naruto-kun? It's this way," said Hinata, worried, pointing the other way.

Naruto paused. "Yeah! I knew that!" he laughed suddenly, turning and sprinting the other way. Hinata smiled, shook her head at him, and followed.

Hinata didn't have time to think much after that, because Naruto led the way. He led them on a bright round of meaningless chatter all the way through the park - green and grassy and full of beautiful shady trees and crisscrossing paths - and then through the hiking trail sloping steeply upward beyond, eventually taking to brightly pointing out this or that. It was true, the hilly, rocky little trail lined with trees, flowers, and wild grass looking over the park on its cliffside below _was_ beautiful. And it was also true that Naruto never. Stopped. Talking. At first, Hinata was happy that he was happy, and glad it didn't seem like she had to do much of the talking, and glad this wasn't too intense and scary…

But after a while, she got annoyed that he never made observations that left room for her opinion. That he never seemed interested in what she had to say. She knew what that felt like, she thought with suppressed cold anger; she got it a lot in her clan, so she wasn't mistaken. She realized Naruto had asked absolutely nothing about her since this assignment had started - she had both announced her hobbies, and suggested meeting up through a nervous text, all on her own.

Silently stubborn, she refused to give into her upset. But she decided to give Naruto an entire day to ask her anything, give her any time to talk, ask her to give any opinion of hers - just once. It could be about anything. The people they passed, even. Five minutes of relative silence in which she could fill the void - that, she would also take.

She never got the chance. She walked the entire lovely, pretty nature hike in near total silence. The most she could say was that the scenery was very nice and it got her blood pumping, a light sheen of sweat on her body and her appetite worked up for later, something she hoped a fellow ninja could appreciate. Other than that… she was not included in her own dream afternoon at all. It was not exactly the relaxing, light-hearted experience she had planned.

More than that, Naruto was not very bright. Of course, she'd always known he was a bit oblivious - but sometimes he made weird and often rude observations, like loudly calling the pregnant lady they passed in the park fat. The woman glared and Hinata felt herself blush dark red. Then the woman gave her a look and Hinata could read it clearly: "Dump him," it said.

That look would stick with her.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said worriedly and uncertainly as they left, "I think she was pregnant."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," said Naruto vaguely.

Hinata decided that didn't count as her one chance to have something to say.

She was terrified by the end of the afternoon of going to the retro diner with him, a beautiful little eggshell blue-colored place with shiny booths and retro photographs on the walls, hand-mixed milkshakes and soft cheerful old music… and she was somewhat right to be. It was not at all the fun she had pictured. Naruto was like a black hole of all food and no manners - and for Hinata, who had a big appetite herself, that was saying a lot.

It was, she thought delicately in a moment truly worthy of a Hyuuga, not unlike having dinner with a pig.

She felt bad for having that thought, but not as bad as she would have felt a few hours ago.

As they were walking back to their bench in the early evening air, lightning bugs coming out to flutter around them in the twilight, Hinata tried to be brave and reach out to grab Naruto's tan and warm-looking larger hand in her small, roundish, delicate, pale one. She wanted perhaps to just share a quiet moment with him. Initiate a light, candle-like moment of physical contact.

Naruto looked around. "Huh? You want to go somewhere?" he asked with big, innocent eyes.

Hinata choked back the lump in her throat. "Uh - no," she said, putting her hand back, too defeated to be embarrassed.

He left her at the bench and began the walk back to his apartment. She watched his back disappear. Hinata sat down slowly on the bench. In his wake, it finally occurred to her that she had never specified this as a date.

"I'm an idiot," she whispered, putting a hand over her mouth.

She put her face in her hands and let just a few tears leak out. Well… that hadn't gone… the way she had deludedly hoped.

Not only did Naruto see her as just as much of a doormat as everyone else seemed to, depressingly… he had no manners, he could be rather dim and thoughtlessly cruel, and he obviously didn't like her in the way she liked him. The boy she had cut her hair short to try and please… the boy who had saved her from those bullies… maybe he didn't exist outside of a good fight with clear sides of right and wrong.

She at last sat back and wiped her eyes, becoming hard and determined. "I have seven weeks," she whispered to herself. "I'll give him two of them to show me his better side."

She was a big girl. She could do this.

She would take note to herself of what happened each and every single day of those two Academy weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Day One

Sakura approached Sasuke before class outside the classroom door in the linoleum hallway, still hurt from the other day but at least falsely cheerful. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke actually favored her with a slight smile. "Good morning," he said warmly, and she was beginning to think this might just work out after all.

Fangirls looked on, envious, but somehow this didn't hold the same wonder for Sakura that it used to. She knew Sasuke too well.

Hinata was standing shyly, leaning against a wall by the door, when Naruto sprinted up to her. "Hi, Hinata!" he said excitedly.

She still had enough of that fondness left inside her for this to excite her. She smiled. "Hello, Naruto-kun."

But then Naruto was obnoxious for the rest of the day. He stood and sat beside her all day long, letting out this constant rain of chatter, like he had no one else in his life to really talk to. And Hinata supposed he didn't. No friends, no family. Being Naruto's only friend quickly became a full-time job. He left no room in her life for anything else. Hinata, not good at confrontation and a little intimidated by Naruto's constant depth of loud emotion, didn't know how to approach this without hurting his feelings.

Naruto's rain of chatter was broken only twice.

The first time, Inuzuka Kiba - messy brown haired with clan facial markings, a massive furred jacket, and a tiny dog fighting partner - sitting in class in the row below them turned to him. "God, Uzumaki, would you shut up?" he demanded. "Go play a prank or something."

Aburame Shino, dark bespectacled and trench coated with a buzz cut, slightly more perceptive than Kiba, seemed to stiffen slightly in preparation. "Kiba, I am not sure that provoking him right now is such a good idea -"

And then to Hinata's humiliation, Naruto proved how delicate his current emotional state of showing he cared about someone was by vaulting himself over the table and attacking Kiba. Shino and Hinata sat there, deadpan and concerned, as Iruka had to hurry over and yank Naruto off of Kiba and his barking puppy, yelling at Naruto.

Koroto Ami, a rather snooty girl with asymmetrical A-line purple hair and a pug face, leaned over to Hinata and smirked. "What's wrong, girl who doesn't like Sasuke? Alternative Paradise not all it's cracked up to be?"

Hinata's eyes widened, hurt - mostly because she was right.

Sakura saw the interaction from a distance and frowned. This was interesting, because the second time that morning proved to be about Sakura, actually. Naruto stopped passing Hinata beside him notes long enough to stare daydreamily for a while at Sakura, his chin in his hand.

Sakura saw, and scowled. She wrote a fierce, scribbled note, balled it up, and threw it with precision aim straight at Naruto's head while Iruka wasn't looking, his face to the blackboard instead. The paper wad hit Naruto right in the skull. Hinata distinctly saw Sasuke try to hold back laughter, putting his hand to his mouth.

The opened, crumpled note said: _Pay attention to the woman who's actually sitting next to you, JACKASS!_

Naruto saw the note and frowned. "What? But it's not like that between you and me," he whispered, looking up at Hinata with big, puzzled eyes. Hinata choked a little and looked down, clearly upset.

"Naruto! You have stopped paying me any attention enough times today! Outside!" Iruka snapped. "And detention during lunch!"

Naruto began egging Iruka on, complaining loudly, all the way out the door. In the middle of barking at and reprimanding Naruto, Iruka threw Hinata an apologetic glance, but Hinata couldn't have been happier.

The minute the lunch bell rang, she was gone to sit somewhere quiet and secluded and just be upset for a while.

Sakura was walking out into the lunchtime courtyard beside Sasuke when Ino's grating voice called out to them. Sakura froze, getting her hackles up. She slowly turned around. Yamanaka Ino, her greatest fangirl rival, stood there, perfect porcelain skin, platinum blonde ponytail, skimpy black dress and all.

"Forehead Girl! Looks like Naruto has more interest in you than Sasuke-kun does!" said Ino smugly. Sasuke of course was standing right there.

This one stung - it cut - because Ino was right.

But then Sasuke actually defended her. "Ino," he said, frowning, "have I ever told you you're annoying?"

He didn't even say it vindictively. He sounded actually sincere.

Ino's eyes widened, and her two male partners began snickering behind her, as Sasuke actually broke it down.

"Okay, let me explain this to you. No, I'm not interested in Sakura." Well, Sakura thought. That hurt. At least he was honest. "But I would still rather go out with Sakura than you. I trust in Sakura's intellect and her loyalty. Do you know what she did this weekend? She took me to a museum full of interesting things and then a thrift shop full of ancient treasures.

"I'm pretty sure you would have just taken me out shopping, hung on my arm loudly a lot, and then dumped me for something more interesting. Mostly because you're spoiled."

Ino stood there, mouth open, floored. Even her two partners, Shikamaru and Chouji, had been stunned into awed and impressed silence.

"By the way," said Sasuke, "I think your Sensei put you with those two because you're not seeing their inherent value and friendship as you are now. You see that they're uncool, but not that they're good people and deeply loyal friends to one another."

"... You," said Nara Shikamaru fervently to Sasuke at last, "are genuinely cool. And I never thought I'd say that." Shikamaru was lazy with a dark ponytail and complained about work a lot. He was not popular, being too lackadaisical, but he was very nice.

Akimichi Chouji held up his bag of chips in one hand and a hearty thumbs up in the other, beaming. A pudgy, massive, red-haired boy with clan facial markings, he was Shikamaru's best friend and a fanatical foodie.

Ino went to shriek and slap Sasuke - who grabbed her hand out of the air, his old face coming over him again, the cold and dangerous one. "... I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, very quietly. Everyone around them tensed, cautious.

Ino fumed, tears in her eyes, and it should have been satisfying winning this ultimate fight… but instead Sakura felt oddly small.

"Well," Ino shrieked tearfully to Sakura, tearing her wrist from Sasuke's grasp, "I hope you two are very happy together!"

"Ino -" Sakura began, feeling bad for her old friend, but Ino had brushed past her and stormed off.

"Don't worry," Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's troublesome, but we've got her." He and Chouji sauntered lazily off after Ino, used to her moods.

"... Well," said Sakura uneasily, "that was… something."

"Sorry," said Sasuke, "I know you probably still care about her. But she needed to hear that."

"She does kind of throw herself on you a lot… very… _physically_ ," said Sakura sheepishly. "Even though we all know you freeze up and you don't like it."

"Thank you," said Sasuke, with the weariness of someone who had been putting up with fangirls for years. "Shall we have lunch?"

But the minute they'd sat down in their empty classroom for lunch, Sakura was unable to leave it alone. "You know…" she said slowly, "about this project…"

"Yeah?" said Sasuke casually, still eating.

"You still haven't answered any of my questions from last time."

Sasuke froze, obviously going back over them in his head.

"... You want me to talk about how my family died," said Sasuke slowly with dread, still staring straight ahead of himself.

"I think it would help if you talked about it."

"Sakura. You don't know what you're saying. Don't start cross examining this."

"But Sasuke-kun -"

"Sakura, no!" He had warned her, and now he barked, his eyes flashing dangerously. Sakura felt herself choke up, like a little kid who'd just slipped on ice. She felt weirdly, personally rejected.

"Fine," she said, standing. "You upset my ex friend and now you - I just - Fine. See you in class." She waved her hand, tired and finished more than she was dramatic, and she walked away.

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura -" But Sakura, like Ino, was already gone. Too late had he seen the tension building up inside her.

Well he was just batting a thousand today.

* * *

Sakura stalked in annoyance outside the building containing the empty classroom, storming by a startled, tearful Ino surrounded by Shikamaru and Chouji in a corner of the courtyard.

"Fuck it! You can have him!" Sakura yelled, and she kept walking straight off campus.

She only stopped storming when she heard a very unpleasantly familiar voice. Her old bully, Ami's.

"What, Hyuuga princess?" Ami said in her trademark high, mocking tone. "Did you really think that was your happy ending? That if you kissed the frog, he'd end up a prince? I mean, the kid's obnoxious and he doesn't even like you -!"

"Don't - don't say that," Hinata choked out, but she was clearly crying, wherever she was close by.

"Oh, I notice you're not denying it," said Ami, somehow both cruel and bossy at the same time.

Oh _fuck_ no. This was _not_ happening on Sakura's watch. She paused beside a wall leading out to a walkway adjoining campus, bushes perched by her head on the dirt above the wall. She stopped right at the corner.

And for the first time, true rage came over her face.

She stormed right around the corner, down the walkway, to where Ami was standing hands on hips over a bent, crying Hinata. "Hey, Ami!" Sakura called. Ami turned around and Sakura smashed a fist right into her face. "Don't pick on my friends!" Sakura called by instinct.

"Fuck you, Haruno!" Ami spat out, stumbling back and clutching her nose, blood going everywhere.

"Fuck _you_ , Ami. You're not picking on me anymore. I'm not that little girl," said Sakura fiercely. "And you know what I think? I think you're bitter because your little lackies weren't talented enough to test into the final year of the Academy, so you have to pick on people on your own!"

Sakura made a pouty baby face, sarcastic.

Ami charged forward - and a determined Hinata got in between them, surprising everyone.

"No," said Hinata, suddenly stronger. "You don't hurt my friend." She was quiet and soft, but mighty and fierce. "Go complain to the teacher if you want. See if a ninja is sympathetic to a nose-bleed." The softly spoken words stung scathingly for a trainee.

Ami stumbled away, running past them.

"I… I did it," Hinata breathed, a stunned smile coming over her face. "I stood up to a bully… without him…"

"See?" Sakura smiled. "You just needed a friend's moral support." Then she frowned. "You mean Naruto, don't you?" she said seriously, sensitive to heartbreak and crushes.

Hinata nodded and looked down, sagging sadly. "W… Why aren't you with Sasuke?" she said tentatively.

Sakura sighed. "Oh," she said. " _That_."

And they sat down beside each other on the walkway just outside campus, against the wall on the concrete ground, bushes above them. And they told each other _everything_.

"... What if we switched?" said Hinata at last with tentative interest. "Think about it!" she said when Sakura looked skeptical. "We both have the exact same expiration date on our current partners. Both of our current partners seem oblivious. I think Sasuke sounds easier to work with for me, frankly. And you've just said you'd be better at yelling at Naruto when he's acting like a jackass - which is not great for romance, but it is really great for a partnership or even a friendship."

"True… It wouldn't exactly be the most romantic option, though…" Sakura winced. "Working with Naruto…"

"After all this," said Hinata bluntly and quietly, "would anything be romantic for either of us?"

Sakura sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "Good point," she admitted.

Hinata leaned her head back, too, giving Sakura a sideways glance. "You know," she said, "if it really bothers you that much, try that pen pal thing Iruka-sensei suggested. It's extra work, but it would be the kind of work you're really good at. The written kind, the foreign culture learning kind."

"True…" Sakura brightened slightly. "Maybe I'll try that…

"Okay." She sat up, fiercely determined, and Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. Sakura held out her pinky finger. "I say we pinky swear." Sakura smiled. "If the two weeks are up, and nothing big changes, you know what we do? We switch partners. Each of us would still have five weeks with our chosen classmate. And I'll do Iruka-sensei's pen pal exchange.

"Deal?"

Hinata smiled and sat up. "Deal," she said determinedly, interlocking her pinky finger with Sakura's.

* * *

Iruka called Sakura and Hinata into the private office adjoining his classroom before class started that afternoon. He leaned over his desk and looked concerned into their faces.

"Ami is not taking action," was the first thing he said, "but I want you to know she could have. No matter what she was saying to you. You know, I'm surprised at you two. I've never had trouble with either of you before."

Sakura ducked her head sheepishly.

"I will not let anything happen to Sakura," said Hinata, with quiet but surprising calm Hyuuga poise and dignity.

Iruka stared. "You two… are friends?"

Sakura was smiling. "We are now," she said. "We're even thinking about switching partners. We think our current partners are jerks. I might even take you up on that pen pal offer.

"And it's all thanks to your assignment, Sensei, so… thanks."

"And don't worry. Unless Ami attacks us, it won't happen again," said Hinata with a peaceful little glowing smile.

They left the classroom together, now chattering as cheerfully as if they had been best friends for years.

Iruka stared after them. "I'm going to have to report to Hokage-sama," he said slowly to himself in the following silence, in a tone of unmistakable confusion, "not only that Ami and Kiba have been attacked, and Shikamaru and Chouji are helping Ino through a self identity crisis… but that because of my project, Sakura and Hinata are now best friends… and each now despises their chosen crush… and they're thinking about switching partners… and Sakura wants a pen pal.

"... What the _fuck_?" he said to himself, bewildered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura and Hinata had both gone up icily to their partners in class.

"Come with me," they each demanded, in the kind of tone one didn't exactly say no to.

The boys met up in the middle… and glared at each other across the distance, as Sakura and Hinata cheerfully and vindictively took seats beside each other in the classroom. Each girl patted the seat next to her.

Four person table max. Just big enough for four people.

Slowly, begrudgingly, and with many glares, Sasuke and Naruto took tentative seats on opposite ends of the same table.

Sakura and Hinata were pretty sure they'd spend the rest of the two weeks becoming friends, and the boys would spend the rest of the two weeks at each other's throats. And that was just fine with them.

They had chosen a neat, cozy little table in the top and back center for their new group.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Several things happened over that next two weeks.

The four people, two girls and two boys, even had lunch together underneath a tree in some grass in the central courtyard. All the time. Sasuke and Naruto bickered a lot. Sakura and Hinata chattered cheerfully in their middle and pretended not to notice, ignoring both confused boys, only stopping the fighting when it got physical. Because of this, neither boy looked spectacular in the eyes of anyone, but they did form a grudging respect for one another.

Ino started refusing to look at Sakura and Sasuke's part of the room. She took to crying and times of silence that genuinely worried Sakura. Shikamaru and Chouji became her constant companions.

Ami stayed far away from Sakura and Hinata and started sitting defensively with Kiba and Shino.

And Iruka kept reporting all of this, in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment, to the Hokage. Who was very, _very_ interested.

But he was even more particularly interested not only by the idea of the foursome… but by the idea of the two partnerships switching, and Sakura taking up an anonymous foreign correspondence on the side.

It was like watching an entertaining television programme through paper reports. For once, the Third Hokage had no idea what was about to happen - and it thoroughly delighted him.

* * *

Day Two

Sakura and Hinata traded cosmetic tips. "I love what you do with your hair!"

It took Sasuke and Naruto exactly five minutes to break into a bickering argument, ten minutes to come to blows, and two minutes for both girls to get between them and calm them the _fuck_ down.

Ino was very weepy and huddled with Shikamaru and Chouji a lot. They talked in nothing but whispers.

Ami approached Shino and Kiba aggressively and said, "We're friends now," and sat next to them.

Kiba sighed and said, "In the words of Shikamaru: Troublesome."

"Indeed," said Shino flatly.

Day Three

Sakura and Hinata chatted about schoolgirl life.

Sasuke and Naruto had retreated to bitter and acidic barbs that they were secretly beginning to enjoy.

Sakura began walking home with Sasuke, Hinata with Naruto, both girls feeling badly about how things were turning out. Conversation went… surprisingly pleasantly… as long as they held back and didn't go too deep.

Ami tried to give gossip to her new friends. Kiba told her to shut up. Shino concurred. Ami pitched a hissy fit. Ami quickly got over this when she realized it was getting her nowhere.

Ino laughed unkindly, and then immediately started breathing hard and clutching at her head. Shikamaru and Chouji had to talk her through her "panic attack."

Iruka started to wonder what he had done.

Day Four

Sakura and Hinata traded sympathetic talk about families. Sasuke and Naruto listened curiously, and privately envied the girls for having a family at all.

Ami retreated into being the sullen, pug-faced girl in the back of the room with Shino and Kiba as her fellow rebels.

Ino began smiling at Chouji and Shikamaru and treating them with genuine kindness.

Iruka breathed a little easier.

Day Five

Both partner couples half-heartedly tried to learn something about each other again separately. It was frustrating and there was no spirit in it.

After that, they quickly went back to foursome desks and lunches, and easy walks home chatting idly in a friendly way about this and that.

Hinata and Sakura were starting to realize that the boys were much less objectionable this way.

The girls spent time pampering themselves alone, blessedly free, all weekend.

Day Eight

The foursome realized they were all slacking, but they were beginning to like hanging out with each other and didn't have the heart to continue as before. They also felt somehow like some small portion of this limbo was coming to an end.

Sasuke and Naruto varied between acidic barbs and actual civility. Sakura and Hinata smiled at each other and gave a sigh of weary relief.

Then Sasuke and Naruto were suddenly at each other's physical throats and the girls exasperatedly had to intervene again.

Day Nine

The friendship teasing started.

The four began tentatively making easy, teasing jokes toward one another.

"You know," said Naruto in a rare moment of insight, "that bonding thing we're supposed to be doing? We actually kind of are."

The others were thoughtful.

Day Ten

Sasuke and Naruto's barbs had taken on a friendlier, sparring, even jesting tone. This seemed to be how they communicated.

Hinata could admit to Sakura that she didn't really have feelings left for Naruto, and was mildly interested in interviewing Sasuke.

Sakura admitted in turn that she wanted someone to yell at to take out all her leftover frustrations on how it didn't work out with Sasuke.

Hinata seemed worried.

Day Eleven

Sakura clarified that after all this, she actually did want to try being Naruto's friend as well - "he has a dorky, hyperactive kind of charm" - and she was curious about the pen pal exchange…

Hinata relaxed and smiled knowingly, with exasperated fondness.

Day Twelve

In secretive, girlish whispers one day in the courtyard during break, right before another (surprisingly?) blessedly free weekend, it was decided between the two women.

* * *

The announcement came quite suddenly to Sasuke one day.

"Sasuke," said Sakura, who had dropped the _-kun_ somewhere along the way. "Hinata and I have mutually decided we would like to switch partners."

Sasuke whirled around incredulously on their walk home from school. "... _What_?" He felt oddly like he was being broken up with. "Wait… you're interested in _Naruto_?"

"No, I'm not!" Sakura snapped. They had stopped on a walkway back toward where they separated to go to their different homes. "We just want a switch! Look, you'd still have five weeks to learn ten simple facts about Hinata. How much are you really learning with me?"

"But… but you…" And now Sasuke was confused and flustered.

"What?" said Sakura, glaring. "I like _you_?" Her narrowed eyes and tone were dangerous.

Sasuke paused, his face veiled. "... I thought we were friends," he said, and turned away, becoming colder. "My apologies -"

"Wait! We _are_ friends!" said Sakura, softening and running up to put a hand on his arm, exasperated. He paused, tense and not looking at her. Obediently, she removed the hand and he relaxed. "But that's just it, Sasuke. I've been realizing… I don't think I like you that way anymore. We're not good together… romantically. I don't mean this in an accusing way, but I give a lot and I don't get anything?

"And I don't think that's anything intrinsic to you or to me, I think it's just… us.

"But I think," she added tentatively, concerned, bending to try to look into his face, "that I would like it a lot better… if you were my friend, and I got to talk to you about what's going on with Naruto, and you got to talk to me about what's going on with Hinata-chan."

Sasuke relaxed. "That… would be nice," he admitted, still feeling oddly… disappointed. Possibly because he'd finally become close to someone loyal and romance would have been easier. "I… don't want you to become the person I turn to just because I'm close to you and I trust you," he admitted. "Not if it wouldn't be… healthy."

He finally looked at her sideways. Sakura relaxed in relief.

"Oh, thank God," she said, half collapsing against a nearby wall on the sidewalk. "After Ino, I'm a little kunai-shy about losing any friends."

Despite himself, Sasuke smiled, amused. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll work with Hinata. Less… baggage, anyway. For everyone, I think."

Sakura understood what he meant. She nodded and smiled.

* * *

"I thought we were friends!" Naruto was exploding somewhere else in the village on a similar walk home from school.

"We are, Naruto, we are!" Hinata hurried over and put up her hands, concerned. She had also dropped the _-kun_. "Nothing would change, except that Sakura-chan would get to ask you questions instead of me! Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"It…. it is…" Naruto realized, blinking. He straightened. "Wait," he said, puzzled, "that's all that would change? Then… why the change?"

"... Because I used to like you," said Hinata firmly, taking a deep breath, "in a romantic way. And… I don't anymore. So I think this is… best."

Naruto had been turned around so many times in this conversation he had _no_ idea how to feel. "Oh… okay." He blinked uncertainly. "I… Hinata, you gotta believe me, I genuinely had no idea.

"So… we're all still friends… but I get to be partnered with Sakura-chan?"

Hinata nodded.

"Wow, that's amazing!" he exploded, grinning. "I mean - I'm sorry, and I'm not sorry. You get what I mean? You're cool, and I'm glad I got to know you, but… it's Sakura-chan. It's different with her. So… happy, but not happy."

"I do get what you mean," Hinata admitted, with much feeling. "And… it's better this way," she admitted to herself. "I mean… you and me… can you imagine?" she said softly, her eyes distant.

Naruto tried to picture it. "I think… I've never had anyone like me before, so it could have happened… and I think our entire life would have revolved around my problems," he admitted with remarkable self awareness. "At least Sakura-chan just yells back."

Hinata smiled. "That is… remarkably mature of you, Naruto, thank you," she said warmly and sincerely.

Naruto wouldn't really be out of her life. He would just be a different part of it. And now she had other friends, too.

"So come on," she said, and she led a confused Naruto by the arm…. to meet with Sakura and an equally confused Sasuke on a Konoha street.

"Changing of the guard," said Hinata, smiling. "The way it was meant to be. We'll be starting to spend more time as partners again, too. But we'll all still be friends," she added quickly, just to be sure.

"We're telling Iruka-sensei tomorrow, but he kind of already knew," said Sakura, smiling, her nose wrinkling in amusement. "And! I'm getting a pen pal as well, so hooray for me!" she added proudly.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other across the distance, tension between them… And then Sasuke smirked.

"I don't know if we can hate each other anymore, dobe," he admitted, quietly amused. "I think we finally have something in common - we just got switched out for newer models."

Naruto grinned. "Good luck," he said.

"And to you," said Sasuke warmly, as the two girls smiled and walked across the distance, passing each other and winking.

Hinata took Sasuke's side. Sakura took Naruto's side - with the anonymous pen pal application filled out and firmly clutched in her hand.

Naruto looked longingly over at Sakura. Her face hard and determined, Sakura stared straight ahead and not at Naruto, seeing decisions only she could have come to.

Both Hinata and Sakura were ready to bravely face the new future.

* * *

"... You want _Gaara_ to participate in Konoha's pen pal programme?" said Kankurou incredulously, somewhere in the desert Hidden Village of Suna.

Gaara had to admit, his brother had a point this time. "... What would we talk about?" he asked in a tone of fervent confusion, a little furrow between his brows.

They were all standing in a little rustic wood classroom in Suna, a desert storm blowing beyond them outside, Baki - a dark skinned and deep voiced bald man in dust colored ninja flak vest uniform - standing in front of them. All three of the Kazekage's children were before him: Kankurou in his black animalistic outfit and warlike face paint, Temari statuesque and curvy with intricate buns of dusty blonde hair and an elegant, deadly huge fan attached behind her back…

And Gaara, the youngest. Still in his final year of Academy-level private tutoring, not that he needed it. He was tall and slim, with a striking mess of dark red hair, the gold skin tone of most people in Suna, and bright green eyes framed with black, kohl-like markings. "Love" was tattooed ritualistically up and down over one of his eyebrows. He wore deeply red and gold clothes and a woven sash tied his goard of sand to his back. Unlike Sasuke, he was not dark and dour and quiet - in fact, in his own frigid, straight-backed way, it was impossible to tell what Gaara was thinking at all. He fit perfectly into the nobility of his strict and solemn, severe culture and he rarely spoke aloud. Gaara never revealed anything about himself. One of the countless reasons why the idea of his having a pen pal was so puzzling, even for his fellow Suna nobles.

"Konoha is supposed to be our biggest ally. It has to be Academy students," said Baki, "and the Kazekage would find it… _wise_ …" He looked at Gaara meaningfully. "If one of his children would participate anonymously. For appearances and diplomacy's sake."

Gaara paused from his inner skeptical scathing. "... We'll be anonymous?" he said expressionlessly.

"Yes," said Baki quickly, eagerly. "Letter, email, whatever you want. All you have to do is learn ten important things about each other and submit that in written form."

Gaara tried to picture it to himself, what it would be like, talking to someone through letter from hundreds of miles away, someone outside his father's realm of influence, someone who had no idea who and what he was and what he had done. Someone he couldn't even see. Complete anonymity. He found he didn't know, and he also found that he was somehow dissatisfied with… not knowing. What it would be like.

"Fine," he said abruptly, cold as always, "but not for my father. For my own brief curiosity. And I'm using email, not the village birds of prey. It's simpler."

And Gaara left, with three bewildered Suna ninja behind him.

"I feel pity for whoever poor soul gets _Gaara_ for a pen pal," said Kankurou distinctly. Temari scolded him without any real heart right before the door shut and Gaara was down the hallway of the clay adobe round building, down the wood stairs, and out of earshot.

Out the door at the bottom of the staircase, fearlessly into the sandstorm, he slipped away and disappeared into the swirling walls of whitish sand.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata did the appearance changes together in Hinata's room.

Hinata had already visited Sakura's room one weekend of pampering, but it was decided that since Sakura's parents were in her own exasperated words "nosy," Hinata's clan's ignorance policy would be more suitable. Besides, Hinata had a better sleepover bedroom anyway.

So they sat in Hinata's bedroom and did their work. Sakura took a kunai knife… and chopped off all her pink hair until it was chin level. She stood there in front of Hinata's mirror, her work finished, pink hair littering the carpet around her.

Her final tie to her crush on Sasuke - severed and gone. Now she had chin-length pink hair and wore a red summer dress with shorts.

Hinata had learned a jutsu just for this very moment. She closed her eyes, sitting on her bed, put her hands in a hand seal, concentrated her chakra power…

And her dark hair grew around her until it slunk, shiny and thick, down past her breasts. She opened her eyes.

Her final tie to her crush on Naruto - severed and gone. Now she had long blue-black hair and wore a reserved sweater and pants set.

"... Do you think we're being overdramatic?" Sakura asked, smiling uneasily.

For once Hinata was the confident one. "Oh, no," she said seriously. "I think this could end up having enormous significance."

* * *

The boys met the girls outside the classroom door the next morning in surprise.

"Hey, your hair is… different," said Naruto uncertainly. Sasuke was staring.

"Thank you," said Hinata, smiling, Sakura beaming beside her.

"We decided it was time for a change," said Sakura. "Come on. Let's go tell Iruka-sensei what we've decided."

As the boys followed the girls into the classroom, still bewildered, Naruto muttered to Sasuke, " _Damn_ , girls are weird."

"Well," said Sasuke, who realized he couldn't disagree.

They approached Iruka at his teacher's desk, and Iruka's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing the girls' changed haircuts, the entire classroom went still and dead silent as all staring eyes turned to the front. A soft gasp could be heard from Ino's part of the room. Only Ino knew that Sakura had grown out her hair to attract Sasuke.

Cutting it was a signal she'd given that up and considered other things to be more important.

"Iruka-sensei, Hinata-chan and I would like to switch partners," said Sakura with certainty. "I agree to work with Naruto, while Hinata-chan would like to work with Sasuke. We still have five weeks and this is allowed, yes?"

Everybody heard it - Hinata had gained a suffix and Sasuke had dropped one.

"... It certainly is," said Iruka slowly. "I must admit, I know you were thinking about it, but I didn't know you'd actually go through with it…

"Alright. I approve. Let me write the change down."

"Oh, and Iruka-sensei? I would like to apply for an extra-credit penpal." Sakura held out her application. "I would like to learn from someone in a foreign culture."

Iruka smiled, delighted. "I'm glad people are taking me up on that! Good for you, Sakura. I accept." He took the application from her hand.

As Iruka bent to scribble down the changes in his grade book and on his project sheet, a thunderous, raucous chatter of surprise suddenly erupted all across the classroom. This was all anyone in their class would talk about and wonder about for the rest of the school day, but all four sources of the gossip would know to stoically keep their mouths shut.

Everyone outside their foursome was clearly baffled.

Iruka leaned closer to the four at his desk so he could be heard over the rabble. "It's all set and cleared away," he said. He put his finger slowly down a list on his teacher's desk… "Ah! This one looks good!" he said, pleased. "Sakura. Here's the contact information for your new anonymous penpal. Also an Academy student, obviously. Your age, in fact. He's from Suna and he prefers email."

He held out a slip of paper.

"Fine by me," said Sakura, pleased, taking the slip from Iruka's fingers.

"And now you go to your seats," said Iruka. "Class is about to start."

They all separated and left his desk for their table, some important things irrevocably changed.

Only Naruto now thought - hoped - that he might gain romantic attachment from his partner exchange. He smiled happily, dreamily, over at Sakura as she now sat neutrally beside him at their table, Hinata beside Sasuke. Naruto blissfully ignored the pen pal information currently clutched in Sakura's hand.

Naruto was still pinning his hopes on winning over Sakura. Everyone else? At this point they'd settle happily for simple friendship. And their calm, forward-looking expressions showed it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

For lunch, outside the Konoha Ninja Academy front doors, the two new partner sets smiled at each other and then went their separate ways. Hinata went with Sasuke - and Sakura went with Naruto.

Hinata and Sasuke walked across the central courtyard, and it was pleasantly quiet. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke didn't seem awkward - like her, he seemed comfortable and at ease with silence, like he didn't have much to say.

He looked over sideways at her, to where she was walking with her hands clasped. She gave him a peaceful little smile. The corners of his lips twitched toward a confused smile back, as if despite himself.

"This is… different," he admitted into the quiet.

Hinata giggled. "Yeah," she admitted in return. "It is."

"Hopefully those two chatterboxes will be happy together," said Sasuke in exasperation, obviously speaking of Sakura and Naruto.

"Happy… is an interesting word. Excited might be better," Hinata said, amused.

Sasuke chuckled. "True," he admitted ruefully, shaking his head. "Hey - I guess I should have asked - there's this little empty upstairs classroom Sakura and I used to have lunch in together. Is that okay?"

"Sure," said Hinata, pleased to be asked her opinion. "Thanks for asking." She smiled quietly.

"No problem," said Sasuke slowly; he looked curious.

* * *

By the time they were sitting and eating lunch, Sasuke was already breathing easier. Hinata was a breath of fresh air - quiet, peaceful, relaxed, easygoing, with kind smiles and no pressure. She hadn't offered anything about herself, but she hadn't demanded he say anything about himself either.

As they sat and quietly ate lunch together, Sasuke realized she wasn't looking over at him all that often, not in the same admiring way most of the girls did. She was just sitting, matter of factly eating her lunch.

He realized he had just been paired with one of the only girls in the class who genuinely didn't care who he was.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Hinata blinked big, innocent, cute eyes at him, the violet-silvery irises somehow pretty and warm in spite of their lack of pupils. Sasuke realized he'd been giving her a sideways glance.

"Uh - no," he said, surprised. "Not at all." She didn't seem flattered that he'd been looking at her either. No blushing, flittering, or tittering.

"Oh. Okay." Now she looked rather confused.

He fished around for something to say. "Your new hair," he said. "It looks nice."

This was true. Her long, straight curtains of bluish-black hair, thick and shiny, changed the whole tone of the curves of her body and her pale face. She was… pretty. In a non-crush sort of way, he could admit that.

"Oh. Thank you." She blushed a little, flattered, and smiled, touching her hair self consciously. "I actually like my hair better this way."

"Then why did you cut it?" he said, puzzled.

"I…" Hinata looked down and blushed. "This is kind of embarrassing to admit," she said quietly, "but I heard Naruto likes girls with short hair. And, well… I used to like him."

"If someone really likes you, it shouldn't matter how your hair looks," said Sasuke, frowning slightly.

"That's true," said Hinata slowly, thoughtfully. "But, well… what if they don't like you yet? Wouldn't looks matter then?"

"I suppose," Sasuke mused. Then: "So… you don't have to answer this if you don't want to… but what changed? Why did you want to switch?"

Hinata did not seem offended, upset, or even flattered. She sat back in quiet thought, obviously methodically going over her answer in her head. "I decided…" she said slowly, "that around Naruto I become a doormat. I can't speak up or say no… and I hate… emotional confrontation."

"It's the worst," Sasuke admitted immediately with unusual fervency. "Yeah. Exactly. Low pressure situations are a dream."

Hinata looked up and smiled, seeming amused. She tilted her head. "The great Uchiha Sasuke dislikes confrontation?" she teased.

Sasuke wanted to be offended, but he realized he was kind of smiling despite himself again. "Well!" he said, and Hinata laughed. "Look, I'll take on a deadly ninja any day of the week. And I'm not dishonest. But please, God, save me from an emotional conversation."

Hinata laughed again. "Yeah. That makes sense," she admitted, amused. "Sakura, like Naruto, is a very… loudly emotional person."

"Yeah. I'm not really suppressed," said Sasuke. "I'm just…"

"Quiet and low pressure. Yeah," Hinata repeated. "That makes sense. I am the same.

"Do you know," she said brightly and thoughtfully, still in her soft voice, "we just learned our first two things about each other." Sasuke paused in surprise. "Why we switched partners," said Hinata, counting on her fingers, "and our mutual dislike of loud emotion and high pressure social situations."

"That… would pass muster," Sasuke realized, still surprised. Somehow, it was… different with Hinata. "Do you know, I don't think Sakura and I ever got through a single point?"

"Neither did me and Naruto," Hinata admitted. "Like with you two, we just… weren't connecting." Now she seemed sad. It was different, watching Hinata seem sad - she was muted but sorrowful, looking downward gently, like a flower wilting or a fountain slowly running dry. It was… mournful, more than it was frightening.

Fuck. When the hell did Sasuke become a poet?

He fished around in his mind for something to say to cheer her up. They sat in silence for a while and then he said warmly, looking out the window, "You know. This is why I always liked it up here."

Hinata looked up.

"I liked to just look out the window in the quiet… kind of like this… and just watch the world pass by. Nature, people. I'm the same way with walks. I exercise and work out a lot anyway, but… I like walks."

"Me, too," said Hinata, nodding and smiling. "There's this little route I like taking, through the park on the south side, up the hiking trail at its end?"

"I've never done that one," said Sasuke curiously.

"You should try it sometime," she said. "It's really pretty, and it's secluded, hardly anyone's ever up there. I go there a lot to pick flowers and herbs, for my flower pressing and my herbal remedies."

"You do flower pressing and herbal remedies?" he asked curiously.

"Mm." She gave a warm little hum and she nodded. "I like crafting, too, and… let's see… pillows, and warm colors and patterns, retro 50's aesthetics, and I like baking and cooking. I love food!" She smiled. "I'm that weird kunoichi girl who eats a lot and works out a lot. So many other girls wear lots of makeup and they're so afraid of sweat… I don't look down on them for it, exactly, but it's not very ninja," she admitted.

"That's… admirable," he admitted sincerely, and he meant it. That was… surprisingly rational, in his experience with girls. Refreshing. "It's nice meeting someone who isn't a fangirl."

Hinata laughed self consciously. "I'm glad you find it admirable, because some guys would just find it gross!" she gasped out through her giggles.

Sasuke frowned. For some reason this sparked anger within him. "Those people are stupid," he said scathingly, looking back out the window.

But Hinata was smiling at him like she saw right through his facade and she knew exactly what he meant. "Of course," she said understandingly, bowing her head softly, looking happy again. Sasuke felt oddly warm, weirdly understood and accepted.

"So…" She lifted her head again. "You work out a lot?"

"Yeah. I have this huge sea of training and exercise equipment… at the house I live in at my compound." He swallowed as he thought of the mournful dark sea of aloneness that was the remnants of the Uchiha Clan Compound. He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway. Sakura kind of implied I might be a health nut," he added wryly.

Hinata giggled. But then she said: "When you mentioned your clan compound… you looked sad. It's okay!" she added quickly. "You don't have to tell me! I just - obviously, I'm a Hyuuga, another big clan, and we're supposed to be rivals but even we're not _that_ big of rivals. I heard about what happened, and… it was very sad," she said softly, her eyes darker and deeper in color with some sympathetic, sad emotion. "I'm sorry."

"... Yeah." Sasuke looked down; he felt oddly choked up. "Thanks." They sat in silence for a while. "The isolation," he said at last, "it's pretty terrible."

Hinata looked down. "I… can only imagine," she admitted. "It must be very hard."

He felt self pitying and he didn't like it. Time to take the focus off of himself. "Thanks for not caring more about our dumb clan rivalry," he said in his more normal tone.

Hinata smiled in amusement and looked up. "My family would take great offense to you calling it dumb," she said, "but I don't mind. I don't believe in hatred. I think it poisons us. Because of this… I do not always fit in with the rest of my family."

"Hatred is poison… What if it's the only option available?" Sasuke asked, thinking of his brother.

Hinata gave him a worried glance. "When the reason for hatred is shared, and support is offered, hatred can become anger," she offered softly, "which is more healthy." Sasuke looked over at her in surprise. "I mean… I wasn't trying to imply anything! Sorry!" She ducked her head, her face blushing hot red.

Sasuke smiled slightly. He realized he was doing that a lot. She was… cute.

"I know. It's okay," he said, and Hinata looked up in tentative relief. He had to lean in to hear her, and he felt like he had to be more… gentle, around her. "This partnership was a good idea," he said quietly, looking out the window again.

He looked over in surprise… as a wide, beautiful, awed smile came over Hinata's face, making her eyes glitter. Just a simple compliment. It was so easy to make her happy.

"I… I think so too!" she said quickly, nodding her head, cute once again.

And Sasuke was smiling, and it was not like him, and he couldn't help it.

"Three points now," he said, amused and strangely cheerful, and Hinata tilted her head, puzzled. "You don't fit in with your strict family, and I'm filled with hatred and aloneness."

"That's terrible," said Hinata frankly, "but true."

Sasuke did the strangest thing. He laughed - out of genuine humor.

* * *

Elsewhere on an Academy rooftop, Naruto altered between pestering Sakura with questions about what she thought of him, and very badly flirting with her.

"Aww, come on, don't be like that!" he complained. She'd ducked and swatted at him when he'd tried to kiss her. She moved firmly away from him on the school rooftop.

"No! I don't want to kiss you!" she snapped at him, her eyes flashing. "And that's final! Come on, Naruto, why can't we just be friends?" she moaned.

"What do you really think of me?"

"I don't like you! At least, not in that way!" Sakura was uncomfortable. Naruto _was_ looking at her with intensity - just not from the kind of person she was interested in. "You're like my irritating little brother!"

He pointed at her. "That could change. You could come to feel differently, like in a movie."

"No! No, I could not!"

"But how do you _know_ that?"

They got into a furious, rousing argument in which Naruto played the high-handed part of the person who knew much more about these sorts of things. It was infuriating.

"You know what, Uzumaki Naruto, you're a dick!" She finally pointed at him, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You're inconsiderate, you didn't ask me if I wanted to eat lunch up here and let the sun bake my skin, you ignored Hinata but you're trying everything you can to sneak a kiss from me, _and_ Hinata told me you're late to everything!"

Naruto tried to kiss Sakura while she was talking to shut her up. Sakura actually punched him - not hard enough to break his nose, like she had with Ami, but it wasn't exactly a swat either. Naruto fell over with an "oof!" and a thump.

"You deserved that! AND I SAID I DON'T WANT YOU KISSING ME!" Sakura yelled, flames practically spitting from her eyes as she hissed up like an indignant cat. "I'm leaving until you can find it within you to stop being such a raging asshole, and actually help me get a good grade on this damn project!

"Thank God I have an extra credit partner backing me up!" she snapped over her shoulder, just before she vaulted off the roof, leaving Naruto with his hand raised after her in dismay.

Sakura heard a defeated sigh from the rooftop. She didn't feel bad, like Hinata would have, but she paused - and did come close, looking torn - then she huffed and kept walking. Gusty sighs wouldn't guilt-trip her!

Sakura stormed down a hall of the main Academy building, sat down against a cool linoleum wall on the floor, put her book bag down beside her, and sighed. "What's wrong with me?" she asked the ceiling. "Why can't I just find someone to connect with? Am I really that hopeless?"

She sounded weary more than she did angsty.

She paused - and looked down at her book bag. Remembering why she'd brought it to lunch in the first place. She fished around inside it, and took out her laptop to write her first email to her new pen pal.

Maybe he wouldn't respond immediately, all the way out there in Suna. But she just wanted the feeling of sending out a connection and dreaming of a nice response.

* * *

Gaara had lunch break from private shinobi tutoring alone in his vast desert compound room. He sat cross legged on his quite frankly useless canopy bed decorated with rich silk hangings - he never slept - and ate, usually a meal of roasted meat and rice, in total silence and stillness, surrounded by piled carpets and elegant glamor and emptiness.

He didn't enjoy this, precisely… Gaara didn't enjoy most things. But he'd gotten used to it.

So he tensed when he heard a sound - and then recognized it. The sand that had already moved up in reaction retreated. He looked over in bewilderment at his phone. Had he just gotten… a message?

He could count on one hand the number of times this had ever happened to him before, hence the bewilderment. Cautiously, frowning slightly, he took up his phone and checked it. Email. He opened it.

And paused, stilling completely.

 _Hi! This is your new pen pal from Konoha! I'm kind of nervous, but… hi!_

 _Iruka-sensei didn't tell me who you were, but he said you live in Suna, you're a boy, you're an Academy student like me, you prefer email… and you're my age. I take it that means you're in your last year of Academy training, like me._

 _So, to be fair: I live in Konoha, I'm a girl, I'm an Academy student in her final year like you, and I'm fine with email and messaging back and forth._

 _I'm not really sure what to ask at first. What kind of place do you live in? What are your family and friends like? What kind of food do you like? I don't know, just… simple stuff._

 _Feel free to ask me anything you want!_

 _Hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Anonymous ;)_

His first response was a strange, humorless hilarity. Not even his father could manipulate someone all the way from Konoha, which meant she was sincere. If she actually knew who he was… the tone of this email would have been completely different. Careful, cautious, complimentary, nervous, cold.

But he paused. She didn't know who he was.

It took him a few minutes to figure out how to respond. He… wasn't exactly used to socializing, not even in writing.

Finally, he wrote:

 _Hi._

 _I am in my last year of Academy training, but I'm in private tutoring. You probably go to school. Everything else you said is correct._

 _I live in a compound in central Suna. I'm… a loner. I have an older brother, an older sister, and a father I don't like. They're all ninja. I like roasted meat, usually over rice._

 _Same questions to you._

He hesitated and then clicked… send.

* * *

Sakura was surprised, scrolling through her laptop, when a few minutes later she got an email response back. That was fast! She opened it up, pleased… And read curiously.

Well, he was a little abrupt and short, but he sounded pretty quiet based on his social life. And that was enough for her to work with.

 _Wow, your family sounds wealthy. Are you from a big clan?_

 _Why don't you like your father? Just curious._

 _My answers: I live in a two-story townhouse in central Konoha. It's redbrick and painted gaudy colors and ridiculous, but it's home. I have an ex best girl friend I don't get on with anymore, but my close friends group currently consists of a best girl friend and two guy friends. You're right, I do know them from a ninja school. I'm an only child, but I have two parents. They argue a lot, and I don't get along with them. They're very… overbearing. They're relatively minor ninja. I have a very fat orange cat that I love a lot, and he mostly just sleeps in my bedroom and eats all the food. That's the life, you know? I wish I was my cat. I really like sweets, I snack on them a lot, but I have super sensitive senses. I hate loud noises and spicy food._

His response a few minutes later. As she'd hoped, he'd responded to the information she'd given, though he didn't seem interested in her romantic life:

 _My family is wealthy, you could say. We're a big clan - Suna nobility. My father is a cruel, conniving man, and I'm not exactly a nice person so coming from me that is saying a great deal. We are currently locked in an endless battle of wits. It is very annoying._

 _Why don't you get along with your friend anymore? I am unfamiliar in friendship rituals. Did she do something incorrectly? Do you love your parents?_

 _Why do you want to be a cat?_

Sakura laughed out loud at the last line. She wasn't sure this person was trying to be funny - he didn't get out and talk to people very often, it was obvious. But she didn't really mean it in a mocking way. She was actually oddly endeared.

That one question: Do you love your parents? It assumed nothing, and it was so amazingly blunt.

 _Wow, my family is so minor compared to yours! :) It doesn't sound like your father is a nice person, though. I'm sorry._

 _My friend and I had a stupid fight over the same guy. It's embarrassing and shallow. I don't even like that guy anymore. But then we started fighting all the time, and now there's all this bad blood between us - Honestly, I think she hates me more than I hate her. It's kind of sad. Our mutual crush embarrassed her in front of me once. The one I don't like anymore._

 _Yes, I love my parents. Just don't tell them that. I'm almost thirteen and pretending I hate them. I guess that's just what most kids do._

 _Why do I want to be a cat? Well. They're elegant, fierce creatures who also get to sleep twenty hours a day and get fed lots of yummy food the rest of the time. They also get to play by attacking people, and everyone thinks it's cute and they laugh._

 _That's why I want to be a cat._

His response:

 _Clearly, as I have demonstrated, having an important family is not everything. I do not know what you are sorry for, as my family is not your doing. If you love your parents, you should tell them, no matter if you disagree. I say that as someone who genuinely does hate his father._

 _I think that's two points for both of us - one for family wealth differences, another for love or lack of love in either family._

 _You regret not getting along with a friend, but you have others. I have none. I do not say this in self pity or accusation. Such things seem pointless to me._

 _That is point three._

 _Your reasoning for being a cat makes sense. What do you do when you're eating sweets? I'm trying to picture it in my head._

Her response:

… _You know. I hadn't thought of it like that before, about my parents. But you're right. I'm lucky. I guess I'm lucky to have friends, too._

 _Let's not be counting points just yet. It's still pretty early. This doesn't have to be so clinical and blunt. I'd like for us to be friends! Then you can say you have one!_

 _My reasoning for being a cat makes sense and you're trying to picture it in your head. That's kind of adorable. What do I do when I'm snacking on sweets? Well, usually I'm reading or doing a puzzle. I like reading and puzzles - intellectual stuff, mostly. And I'm a big fan of history and art and vintage things. I'm one of those people. My room has a really nice desk with this sort of framed prints, pastel and white, marble lighting, sleek kind of design. I'm very… girly, breezy, makeup-ish._

 _What are your hobbies? Do you have a pet?_ _I guess that doesn't really count as a point, but I'm curious._

His response took a long time this time. Sakura was actually worried she'd offended him.

* * *

Gaara blinked down at the message on his phone screen. "I'd like for us to be friends. That's kind of adorable."

Again, a strange, hysterical, humorless laughter filled him inside. This girl… she really had no idea, did she? The very idea of Gaara having a friend was absurd, to himself as much as to anyone else.

So why did he feel so oddly… warm? Not empty? Why was he… enjoying this?

This was a human thing. It was why he was inept. Gaara had never counted himself as human, and he had certainly never been treated like one.

But he was starting to be able to picture this girl, who didn't yet hate him.

Finally, he responded skeptically:

 _I am not adept at socializing and being friends. As I said, I don't have any. If these terms are acceptable to you… I suppose we could try it. Being friends._

 _I do not have pets, exactly, but I go to visit the village birds of prey - the ones that carry messages - in the aviary fairly regular. I also read a lot, usually in the evenings after dinner to pass time. You sound intelligent. I take care of a cactus farm in the center of my compound._

 _You would like this… I think. It's what the cactus blossoms look like._

He hesitated before sending the photo of the red, blooming cactus blossom among the green and the needles. But finally, he sent the message.

He got a response back almost immediately. From there they began messaging each other, almost like in a speaking conversation. She pulled up the message box so they could talk, surprisingly or not surprisingly, not him.

 _WOW! That's beautiful!_

 _It has its own kind of beauty._

 _What is Suna like? I know it's a desert place, and the culture is stricter than in Konoha, which is all relaxed and green and full of sunshine and trees._

 _It is a desert. Lots of dunes and sand, oases blue-green with surrounding shady trees, big rocky mountains and red cliffs surrounding. Our buildings are round clay adobe buildings. Very little rainfall. Water is sacred. It is stricter, yes. Severe, serious, spiritual, strict and honor-driven. Our clothing colors and textures are richer, deeper colored, and softer than yours. Lots of sashes. Saris and kohl on fancy occasions._

 _That sounds amazing… I love learning about other places…_

 _It is home. I have never thought much about how amazing it is or is not. What is Konoha like?_

 _Well, it's surrounded by forests. Even the streets are lined with colorful little shop buildings and planted green trees. Lots of change of the four seasons. We do have smaller and more colorful buildings, and lots of brick. Clothes are more muted, I think, kind of fashion trendy. Konoha is a big economic tourist hub; I think we treat culture very pragmatically, as flexible - which is not always a good thing. We are a very friendly and easygoing people, though. Unusually kind for ninja. We believe human connection is important. Hence this project._

 _Pragmatism is in my experience usually positive. My culture and I see human connection as a sign of weakness._

 _Oh, that pragmatism comment is debatable! And we are just as strong a village as Suna. Perhaps there is value in both ways of doing things. You're connecting with me. You may not feel any stronger right now, but do you feel any weaker either?_

… _No. I will concede to that. It is… an interesting point. When would pragmatism be bad? Do you mean ethically? I find that to be a weak argument._

 _Well, I think the problem is that our view of what is best is sometimes skewed. Everyone is fallible. What if what you think is best for you… is not actually best for you? In that case, shouldn't you technically be listening to your gut over your pragmatism?_

 _Intelligence versus instinct. The old debate._

 _I suppose. Have we already fallen into such old cliches? :)_

… _You have a big heart. It is obvious. My tutor has just walked in, but we should talk again. You are interesting._

He waited for a full minute, not sure why he was hesitating, waiting for a response with the tutor standing right in the doorway. Gaara's face was carefully neutral, revealing nothing, his posture stiff cross legged on his bed with the finished meal before him.

 _Okay! :) I liked talking to you too! Let's do it again!_

She couldn't mean it. Konoha kindness. He clicked out, but her words remained in his head. His chest was still oddly… full.

Strange. Usually he only felt this way after he'd killed someone, watched the light leave their eyes. But he could not kill this girl. She was far away in an allied village. He did not even know who she was.

So he could not explain the feeling.

Gaara had somehow, despite his anonymity, never expected to actually receive a pen pal. He found the experience… the idea of an intelligent, feminine, kind-hearted girl who gave such intelligent debate and such open questions, had such a nice life and family, if poor and ordinary… waiting for him to respond…

To be a surprisingly pleasurable idea.

For some reason he imagined her as pretty. Ridiculous. He had no way of knowing, of course. The whole thing was ridiculous.

But he had already given his word to speak more, which was only etiquette, so he decided this did not matter.

He stiffened, his usual face coming over, and the world became cold and cruel and dangerous again. He stood stiffly. "Tell Father I'm playing his stupid little game," he said scathingly and coldly, and brushed past his obedient tutor to go back to training.

The person he had been briefly with his pen pal… was tucked away deep inside him.

* * *

Sakura smiled at her computer screen for a moment… watched her new pen pal bleep offline… and then clicked out and closed her laptop as the bell rang. She felt cheerful, warm, revived.

That was… weirdly? _Just_ what she had been looking for.

He was shy and socially inept, but had obvious depth of feeling that he could display when he chose to. He was intelligent, well read, loved debate, was intellectual even - and he had complimented not only her intelligence, a big point of pride for her, but also her kindness. He even said she had good points in debate. He seemed to like her, he had no problem with her asking questions, he responded with crippling bluntness and matter of factness and relatively little secrecy, and she could tell in a subtle way he appreciated her femininity and vintage nerdiness and openness. He was philosophical and his descriptions had been positively poetic, an observation she got the suspicious feeling he would not have liked. They had traded culture, and gotten a good idea of each other's worlds.

More to the point… he was interesting. In a darkly romantic, skeptical, severe sort of way, he was.

"I've already learned all his hobbies and figured out three big points about him," she whispered to herself in surprised realization, "and we weren't even really trying..."

She beamed and stood up excitedly as students flooded into the main building on either side, into her hallway. Yes, she thought, smiling softly as she put her laptop back into her book bag.

Yes, at last, that had been what she was looking for. It seemed a bit unconventional… but despite everything, it had worked out quite well.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

For the rest of the school day in class, Naruto sent Sakura impatient notes underneath the table and she ignored them.

 _I'm not angry with you_ , she eventually wrote back absently, and it was true. She wasn't. She was strangely calm. _I'm just trying to pay attention to the lesson._

Naruto subsided. Beside them, Sasuke and Hinata did not bother one another, both calmly paying attention to the lecture. But one of them did occasionally catch the other glancing over at them, and then they would share a small smile, and go back to what they'd been doing.

The four of them were walking off campus together, chatting, at the end of the day, when Ino's voice called out behind them, "Forehead Girl! What are you playing at?!"

The four turned around. Ino and Ami stood there, cautious, and a ring of curious students was quickly forming around them.

"I'm not playing at anything, Ino," said Sakura seriously, refusing to rise to the bait. "I don't like Sasuke anymore."

There were a few gasps, but Sasuke of course looked unsurprised. Ino's eyes widened.

"Yeah, right!" Ami called jeeringly. "So you're all buddies and now Hinata wants him? Is that it?"

"I have decided to become his friend. Sasuke's personal life is not for your speculation," said Hinata in a soft, fierce tone, surprising everyone, including Sasuke, who was oddly touched by the protection. "Leave him alone!"

"Ha! So you do like him!" Ami decided, sneering at Hinata.

Hinata and Sasuke shared a glance, and Hinata actually rolled her eyes. Sasuke snorted and smirked. "Hard though this may be for you to believe, Ami," said Sasuke with heavy sarcasm, "some people just like each other on their own merits."

"So that's what it's like for Sakura and Naruto? I know it's not romantic affection," said Ino, suddenly serious and oddly concerned. "I saw them argue during lunch and then Sakura stormed off."

Naruto smiled and opened his mouth -

"Correct," said Sakura, matter of factly and mercilessly. "That's how it is between us. We're all four just friends."

Naruto wilted.

"And your pen pal?"

Sakura paused in surprise.

"I saw you on your computer during lunch later," said Ino, suddenly severe, and Sakura's three friends looked over at her in surprise as she blushed in embarrassment.

"So she's getting a little foreign loving?!" Ami shouted out in a laugh, cruelly delighted.

"You'd better be careful, you two," said Sakura, her eyes narrowed. "Ami especially. One would think your own lives weren't fulfilling enough to be happy over."

And as Ami's and Ino's faces darkened, flushed, Sakura stormed off. Her three friends gave the two girls dirty looks and then followed, breaking out of the circle of staring students and heading after her.

"Hey! Sakura, wait up!"

Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto were there, and they all fell into step together as a thunderous-looking Sakura stormed down the side pathway off of campus and into town. Sakura slowed down to allow them to catch up.

"I didn't know you were talking to your pen pal already," said Sasuke, curious. "Is that what you were doing during lunch?"

"Yes. And it went well," Sakura sighed impatiently. "Is there any nice part of any of our lives that our stupid-ass classmates just won't leave well enough alone?"

"No," said Naruto, his face surprisingly tough and his hands faux casual behind his head. "Better get used to it. Sad people hate seeing other people happy."

"That may be the most brilliant thing I've ever heard anyone say," said Sasuke, his eyebrows rising.

"Always with the tone of surprise…" Naruto grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Sasuke's lips twitched and he shared a glance with Hinata, who was obviously biting back a smile.

"Well, let's focus on the positive," said Hinata. "My own and Sasuke's meeting went well. Your meeting with your pen pal went well, Sakura."

But Naruto had slowed down, staring at the three happy people walking in front of him. "You really don't like me," he asked Sakura in a small voice, "do you?"

Sakura looked around - saw his expression and winced. "... No," she admitted. Especially after feeling the kind of connection she'd felt with the Suna boy, someone she'd never met - she knew she didn't feel anywhere near that for Naruto. "Naruto, I was serious. You're like my brother. You're my friend. We jostle and scold each other.

"Why can't you just be happy with that? I feel like our partnership would go so much easier," said Sakura sadly.

Naruto sighed. "... Okay," he said, slumping, sounding down in the dumps. He began walking with his friends, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's just… when will I connect with someone?"

"It might take some time, Naruto," said Sakura honestly.

"Yeah," said Hinata bracingly. "I mean… I'm too quiet for you and Sakura's too aggressive. You need a nice in-between sort of girl. Someone who has fun like you. And you'll find her, Naruto. You will," she added in concern, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"... Thanks," said Naruto, at last giving a small smile. "It's just… I don't know, it's weird. I'm the most romantic guy I know, but no one likes me."

"On a personality level, you do make more sense as a crush than me," Sasuke allowed skeptically.

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself," Hinata scolded Sasuke, good-natured and gentle.

"Well - once you get to know me, it's different," Sasuke allowed. "But outwardly I have all the personality of a tree stump. I know," he said, his eyes wide and meaningful, "because I do it on purpose."

Hinata giggled and Sasuke smiled. Sakura looked between the two curiously.

Naruto snickered, his eyes narrowed. "I always wondered - and now it's confirmed," he said in a delighted kind of glee to Sasuke. Sasuke gave a glare with no real heart in it, and Naruto cheered up as the two bickered all the way down the street.

Hinata and Sakura shared a smile and rolled their eyes, walking and chatting up ahead.

"Hey, guys!" said Naruto, suddenly and eagerly. "Why don't we head to my favorite restaurant for a late lunch? There's some people I want you to meet!"

* * *

Ichiraku's Ramen was a tiny little wood-burnished shop with a pointed roof and a cloth doorway. Ducking inside to a smoky interior smelling strongly of ramen, they found a long polished metal bar with an open kitchen behind it. A big dark-haired man with several rolls of fat, sweaty in a stained white apron, cooked behind the counter.

To everyone's surprise, he grinned when Naruto walked in. "Naruto!"

"Teuchi-oji-san!" Naruto called, throwing his arms up, delighted.

"Naruto!" A curvy brunette waitress, a few years older than them, ran up to Naruto and gave him a warm hug. Then, grinning mischievously, she turned the hug into a noogie and began wrestling with Naruto, her round arms obviously stronger than they looked.

"Ayame-nee-chan - your love is so painful -!" Naruto choked out, grinning all the while.

The other three were watching in amusement.

"Hm? Naruto, who are these people?" said Teuchi, surprised and curious.

"Oh!" Naruto brightened. He was released, and he stood in front of them proudly, waving. "These are my new ninja school friends I made from a group project we're doing together! That's Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, and Haruno Sakura."

"Wow, such big names," said Ayame, hands on her hips, smiling and impressed.

Sasuke and Hinata smiled politely. Then Naruto broke the tension by saying, "Yes, my good friend Sakura is very famous," and everyone laughed. Sakura shoved Naruto, but she was laughing all the same.

"Well, come on in!" said Ayame, grinning and waving. "Let me get your order! We always welcome Naruto's friends, he's one of our best customers!"

As they sat down on stools at the metal bar, looking around in friendly enthusiasm, Sakura leaned over quietly to Naruto.

"Thank you, Naruto," she said.

Naruto smiled with surprising maturity. "You're welcome… Sakura," he said warmly.

He'd just acknowledged her, in action, in name, and in announcement, as a good friend.

Naruto smiled at Sakura sadly as she turned and began talking to Hinata beside her, smiling beautifully. ("Hey, this place is actually really nice -!") He had finally realized that not only did Sakura see him like a brother… they got along better and in a more good-natured, friendly way when he acted like one.

Naruto would just have to trust in his new friends. He got the suspicious feeling that Sakura might be starting to like her pen pal, just from her reactions.

But he'd find the girl for him, so they said. Someday. Maybe all great romances didn't happen in the Academy. Maybe his late parents had taken all his luck there, that would figure.

"Ah… Naruto."

Everyone turned around in awe. The Third Hokage was standing there in robes, wood pipe in his mouth and hands behind his back, smiling.

"I see you have friends with you," the Hokage said to Naruto helpfully.

"Yup! These are my new friends, Grandpa!" said Naruto cheerfully, the only one not fazed. "Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura!"

"Naruto, maybe you shouldn't be calling him -!" Sakura hissed, as Sasuke looked surprised and Hinata looked horrified.

"Oh, it's quite alright, I let him call me that. I financially support him and he's in my office in trouble often enough," the Hokage chuckled.

Naruto laughed sheepishly, running his hand through his messy blond hair.

"So… you're all… just friends?" the Hokage asked leadingly.

"Oh, yeah, definitely!" Though the Hokage did notice that Sasuke and Hinata blushed slightly, glanced in each other's direction, looked away - perhaps not fully realizing that they did so.

Well. A Hyuuga and an Uchiha. That was interesting.

"Sakura, you've taken up our pen pal programme," said the Hokage politely.

"How did you kn -?" Sakura began in wonder, her eyes wide.

"Grandpa knows everything," said Naruto casually. "It's one of his gifts. It's kind of creepy, actually."

He was just so matter of fact.

"Oh. Well, yes, I am," said Sakura politely.

"And… how is it going?" said the Hokage slowly, his eyebrows raising expectantly. "So far, has it… lived up to your expectations?"

"Oh, it's -" Sakura ducked her head and blushed, smiling a little more shyly. "It's been great so far," she said quietly. Again, she did not seem to realize that she looked both pleased and embarrassed.

He'd checked the file of who she'd been paired with. A poor Konoha girl and the Suna Kazekage's youngest son, the Third Hokage thought. Also interesting.

And Naruto was friends with all three of these Konoha people. How fortuitous. And the other teams were just lining themselves up in front of him. Ami, Kiba, and Shino. Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru.

Of course, this was all just in the planning stages. Pure speculation.

"Forgive me an old man's curiosity," said the Hokage, amused. "I am glad Naruto seems to have found some good friends. Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. Please enjoy your lunch." He gave them a warm little smile and walked past them, shuffling out of the humble little ramen joint with his hands behind his back.

"Goodbye, Hokage-sama!" The three looked in excited awe after him.

"Eat up!" They looked around to find a grinning Teuchi and Ayame sliding bowls in front of them. "Do you know," said Ayame, leaning forward secretively, "that Iruka teacher of yours sometimes takes Naruto here, too?

"Stick around," she said to their surprised faces, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Naruto has a fortuitous ability, when you need him to, to stick you with exactly the right person. He's friends with _everyone_."

The three smiled. Naruto grinned, chuckling, blushing and pleased.

It was nice, he thought to himself as they broke down into eating and chatting. It was nice, sitting here in Ichiraku's among so many real friends.

If he could find good friends… surely good romance would also come to him eventually.

They eventually took to arguing over the position of Hokage. "I want it!" Naruto insisted.

"Well, you have all the markings for it," said Sasuke skeptically, surprising the hell out of Naruto. "But how do you plan to get there with bad grades and frequent truancies?"

"Well - somehow -!" said Naruto in a high, defensive sort of voice, and Hinata had a hand over her mouth, obviously trying to suppress laughter.

Sakura took a picture of her food and smiled. She emailed it to her Suna pen pal.

 _I'm out with my friends this afternoon - have a bowl of ramen on me!_

She sent it.

And so it was that Gaara ended up sitting in a dark and quiet corner of a ramen joint in Suna, the other patrons giving him silent and nervous looks, enjoying a bowl of ramen with the strangest feeling inside him.

A feeling he didn't know how to entirely define.

* * *

Ino sat on the steps of a Konoha Ninja Academy building after school, Shikamaru and Chouji on either side of her.

"... Sakura has moved on without me, hasn't she?" Ino said quietly.

"I think so," said Shikamaru honestly, giving her a sideways look that was hard to define.

"That _bitch!"_ Ino suddenly exploded, and Chouji jumped and dropped a potato chip into the tiny garden plot beside their steps.

"Aww, _man_!" Chouji complained, falling silent when Ino gave him a flat glare.

"Having an emotional breakdown here."

"Sorry."

"But, I mean - she doesn't get to do that! After I've been hating her for all these years! She doesn't just get to lead him to insult me in front of her! And after that, she sure as hell doesn't get to spend a bunch of time with him and then just _give up on him!_

"I mean - we were best friends! And then best rivals! I love you guys, but you're not chicks! What the hell am I supposed to do now?! Not only does Sasuke not like me, Sakura has officially verified that he's not even worth _her_ time! And I'm like a ten, and she's like a seven! How bad can the kid be?!"

"I don't know," said Shikamaru wryly, who genuinely sounded amused. "But look - you just stood beside _Ami_ today. Not even Kiba and Shino put up with her shit to that extent. Iruka doesn't either, and he's a pushover.

"And Ami? She actually is a bitch.

"You need to get over this," said Shikamaru seriously. "Before you prove Sasuke right.

"You got your information. Anything else, you'd have to befriend Sakura again to get. Let it go."

Ino's eyes had widened - and then she looked down sadly.

"You're right," she said, and she sighed gustily. "Sakura's found new friends. So either I find it within myself to approach Sakura…

"Or it's just over."

"If it's any consolation, she'll be back at school again tomorrow just like everyone else. You can take a few days to decide," said Chouji tentatively, gently.

"Yeah…" Ino flopped back on the steps and stared at the sky. "Shit," she said articulately with feel, swearing crassly and boyishly for the first time in a long while.

Chouji and Shikamaru thought privately that this might be a good sign.

The world had changed and reconfigured itself once again when everyone came back to school at the Academy the next morning. This was lucky, for this was the day that Iruka first started asking them for updates on how their partner projects were going.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata walked to school together as usual and stood outside the classroom - also as had become usual - that morning, chattering cheerfully about the lunch at Ichiraku's yesterday afternoon, before the bell rang.

"Hey."

They looked around. Ino was standing there, face neutral, arms folded.

"Your hair doesn't look like shit, Sakura," she said. "I mean, you're still not as pretty as me, but it's a start."

Sakura blinked, wide-eyed and puzzled.

"That's Ino-speak for 'I'm sorry for teaming up with Ami yesterday'," Shikamaru clarified. Chouji was smiling cheerfully and nodding.

Ino was blushing, but she stayed stoical, arms folded. Sakura remembered that face - Ino's tough face - and she smiled.

"You're forgiven, Ino," she said.

Ino huffed and dropped her arms. "Well, good, because I'm amazing! Sorry for being such a raving bitch. I guess I should say that to Sasuke, too. Shikamaru and Chouji talked me through the whole… personal space thing," she added sheepishly.

Sasuke gave her an amused, curious sideways look. "It's okay," he said, nodding once. Ino relaxed.

"But really, how else was I supposed to get the information?!" she exploded at Sakura, whose eyebrows rose in surprise. "You have to start telling me shit! Otherwise, how am I supposed to insult you properly?" She smirked.

Sakura smirked back, recovering. "Well," she said playfully, "I'm too busy to walk all the way across the room to tell you things, Ino, so I guess your group will just have to sit under my group's table."

"Fine," Ino spat cattily, and they began walking off through the classroom door together.

"Come on, Hinata-chan!" Sakura called cheerfully over her shoulder. "Get in on this!"

"O… Okay!" Hinata hurried after them, wide-eyed.

"She probably doesn't have enough attitude and fire in her yet. Don't worry. We'll fix that," said Ino, nodding positively.

Hinata smiled calmly, amused. "I look forward to it," she said. Ino smirked back, friendly.

The three girls walked through the classroom door together.

The four boys looked at each other, confused. "... What just happened?" said Naruto.

"Girls becoming friends. It's a mysterious, ritualistic art," said Shikamaru. "That means we follow them."

And he and Chouji trudged off after the girls. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, shrugged, and followed as well.

The foursome sat in the top center table, with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji in the table below them. The big group began talking and chatting together.

Naruto looked around himself, delighted. His friendship circle was widening even further! Sasuke was smiling more warmly than he had before, too. Naruto became cheerful, friendly, enthusiastic, and animated, getting everyone chuckling.

Iruka watched from his teacher's desk and smiled. "This really is working out quite well," he murmured to himself, pleased. "I haven't even gotten a prank from Naruto in a while. Now for the big test…"

Ami was also watching sullenly, head on her folded arms, from a farther right part of the classroom looking from the seats. She, Kiba, and Shino were sitting close to the high-up classroom clock.

"You know," said Shino matter of factly without looking up from a last check of his homework, "you could swallow your pride like Ino did and ask to be friends as well."

"Yeah, we don't give a shit," said Kiba bluntly. "But ya could."

"No way! I don't need a group! Like I'd want to be friends with those losers…" Ami muttered, turning her head away on her arms and pouting-glaring at the closest wall.

Kiba and Shino shared an eye-roll.

"Alright, class, settle down!" Iruka called at last from the front of the classroom. The chatter quieted into silence. "Today you will be giving me a brief update on how your partner projects are going. If you haven't started your partner projects yet, this is a _really_ good reminder that you need to get going. Getting important personal information from someone is not always as easy as asking them a question, as I'm sure some of you have already learned. And coming to an understanding enough to write about it can be even harder. It's been just about three weeks since the assignment was given, if one includes that Friday and over the weekend.

"This isn't graded. I just want you to fill this out, with your name on it, to tell me how much progress you've made. You fill it out, you get an automatic pass. I've given you spaces and lines below each question to explain your response.

"This information will be good for me to know for potential future projects like this one for future classes."

He handed piles of papers down the front row and had them passed back. Iruka was smiling, pleased. He expected some good responses.

Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata each took up a paper and a pencil. They frowned down the list of questions, curious. The questions were all things like:

 _Have you switched partners? If so, do you feel you learned something from the switch?_

 _Have you learned something about your current partner, or yourself?_

 _Do you feel you understand social interactions and comradeship better since this assignment was assigned?_

 _Do you feel you like your partner? Why or why not? (They will not see this.)_

 _If you took out an extra credit penpal, have the differences in culture and lack of previous knowledge of each other provided an extra element of interest to the exchange?_

They all smiled. Even Naruto would have no trouble with this one. And they began writing.

Positive changes? Yeah. Just a few.

* * *

After that it was partners time. "Sasuke and Hinata spend all of lunchtime together," Sakura decided. "I spend half of my lunchtime on the rooftop with Naruto, and the other half inside the building with my penpal. Just like Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji say they're spending lunchtimes together."

"Works for me," said Naruto, shrugging. "I'm pretty easygoing."

He really had become a lot friendlier since gaining friends and getting a few things straight in his head.

And so the partnerships all went their separate ways once more.

* * *

Sasuke and Hinata spent the walk across campus and the first couple of minutes inside the upstairs empty classroom chatting warmly about friends.

"It's nice," said Hinata, smiling slightly and looking downward, kneeling there with her lunch in the classroom. "I never really felt like I had anyone before this…"

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

Hinata looked up suddenly, eyes wide, like she hadn't realized she'd been talking out loud. "Oh!" She laughed nervously and blushed. "Nothing! I didn't mean anything!"

Sasuke gave her an odd look. "... Okay," he said eventually, and went neutrally back to his eating, stoical.

Hinata felt weirdly like she'd disappointed him.

"Well…" she said slowly, "it's just…" She fiddled with her hands and looked sideways, away, as Sasuke looked up. "Okay." She took a deep breath. "Here's my story.

"I was born the eldest daughter, in fact the eldest child, of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan head. I was born a big deal, with lots of expectations put on me. You would think that would lead to an amazing life surrounded by tons of people… But it didn't.

"I was… weak. Weaker than my younger sister, in fact, the child who came after me. I was always messing up, and I never felt like I was good enough," her voice was now more panicked, pained, "and I started becoming ignored in favor of my sister.

"Then one day our father had us do battle against one another out on the Hyuuga Clan sparring mats. I couldn't bear to hurt my younger sister… so Hanabi, the more aggressive one, she won. That's why I'm not Hyuuga clan heiress. Hanabi is.

"And I guess… after that…" Hinata looked sorrowful. "I guess I just… stopped talking to people. Neji, my cousin, very bitter about being a branch family retainer, often told me I was too kind and gentle to make for a worthwhile ninja… and, well, no one ever gainsaid him, so I believed him. My family is very - cold, strict, formal. Nothing like me. They taught me to be so soft spoken. I was… I guess I had a lot of the hallmarks of clinical depression for a little while. My family is… not always kind.

"In fact, I guess I had a lot of the hallmarks of clinical depression until this project." She looked up tentatively, still soft spoken, fiddling with her fingers. "That's why I don't talk to people, it's why I'm so shy. I've -"

"You internalized being weak," Sasuke realized, his face inscrutable. "And in the world of the ninja… strength is everything."

Hinata looked down, red-faced and pained. She felt a bit like she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

"You're a nicer person than them, though. That's something."

Hinata looked up.

"You are," said Sasuke, shrugging. "You saw past the trappings surrounding me, the rivalry surrounding my clan name, the prejudices surrounding Naruto. That you didn't want to hurt your little sister… that might not be a bad thing. Kindness isn't always weakness. Your bitter cousin, probably more talented on the battlefield, does not have eyes as keen as yours."

Hinata's eyes were wide, emotional, glittering softly. In her own quiet, calm way, this meant a lot to her.

"And what about in a healer or a medic? Would kindness be a bad thing then? Your family isn't thinking this through. Not all ninja are heavy frontline battlefield types." Sasuke was frowning. "It… doesn't make sense.

"It certainly shouldn't keep you from talking to people. You are literally the kind of friend everybody wants to have. A good listener… understanding and accepting… not judging… loyal and compassionate… you even have a sense of humor.

"You should have more confidence in yourself," he said quietly, dark hair falling into his dark eyes and pale, handsome face, but somehow his quiet face was warm. She could tell he was trying to be positive.

She looked down, smiling, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Thank you… Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

"Besides." Sasuke leaned back, feigning casualness. "You seem stronger than you give yourself credit for. You certainly seem to have no problems with training hard."

Hinata was overwhelmed by the strangest desire to hug him.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I guess I can understand…" he admitted, "because if my clan hadn't died, I'd have turned out that way, too."

Hinata paused in genuine surprise.

He looked over at her and snorted, smirking, the strangest bitter sadness in his black eyes. "Amazing, isn't it?" he said, in a horrible tone of voice. "The great Uchiha Sasuke, top of his class… I'd have ended up just like you.

"My brother, of course… He was _always_ better than me. I never felt like I was good enough for my father. I was always ignored. Itachi… he actually had to blackmail my Dad into spending time with me. My older brother was the golden boy of the clan. It was humiliating.

"But I worshipped Itachi. He put on a good act - seemed like a nice person, a good brother. I guess I felt like… it was okay to worship an older brother.

"Do you know? It's funny." He smirked humorlessly at the ceiling, like nothing was really funny at all. "I never saw it coming…

"Then I came home from school one day, years ago, from the Academy, and blood was running in the streets… Bodies were everywhere… The compound was dark and dead silent… I ran home and found him - Itachi - standing, bloody sword, over the bodies of our parents.

"I got to see it, though. He took me into a Sharingan trance - and showed me himself killing people in our clan. Over and over again. He told me that this was to keep me alive - so that I could hate him, hunt him down. He told me… to live in an unsightly way. I think… in a weird way, he _wants_ me to kill him. It's why he didn't kill me. I think a part of him understands what he has done, even as the rest of him went insane under too much pressure to be the perfect ninja years ago...

"I don't remember anything else after that.

"I woke up in a hospital and found out he'd gone rogue. Fled the village and become a missing nin.

"I was never good enough - never as good as him. Right to the end, I could do nothing in his wake. It's why I push myself so hard. Because I'm the only one left… that _can_ kill him. And avenge my clan. I have this… horrible inferiority complex. Obsession with a bunch of dead people. Probably why I'm such an asshole."

He looked over at her, serious, his eyes veiled, in a way that made her blush.

"I've never told anyone that before," he admitted softly. "... How exactly do you do that?"

"D-do what?" Hinata forced out in surprise, still caught up in his face, in his story.

"I'm a lot more… honest and careful and considerate. Warm and happy… And I'm a lot more myself around you," Sasuke admitted. He was looking at her consideringly.

"I… I don't know," Hinata admitted, looking down. "I… I guess I just try to listen, and understand, and not try to force anything, and… help. I don't know how much help I am."

"More than you know," he admitted. "Thanks for listening, and… not trying to preach anything."

Hinata took a risk. She reached out and took his hand, gave it a light squeeze. He stared down at it in surprise. She thought of little moments like this - the way she thought of her smiles. Like little candles.

"You don't need preaching," she said firmly. "I think you see it all pretty clearly. But if you do live in that unsightly way… you're letting him win. You realize that, don't you? That a desire for honor revenge, and living in an unsightly way… are different?"

He paused.

"And… this is a stretch, but maybe a part of your brother still loves you, too," said Hinata quietly. "After all, if he really wanted to die so badly… leaving someone older and more experienced alive would make more sense."

Sasuke sat his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling.

"That… actually helps…" he admitted slowly and incredulously, "and… I'd honestly never considered it before…"

"So… do you want to be a hunter nin?" she asked, sitting down beside him against the wall. "An ANBU Black Ops agent? Those kind, the hunter nin, I remember from class that they go out, hunt, and terminate rogue Konoha ninja, like your brother. You'd have to ask lots of Konoha Jounin for special training… but in Konoha, it's not an uncommon thing. Not even for someone young. You're talented - a lot more competitive and battle-ready than me. Very hardworking, like me. I think you could do it."

Sasuke paused - like he'd genuinely never looked that far ahead before. "That… would be useful," he admitted slowly, thoughtfully. "Itachi himself carried that position… And you're right, he did learn everything he knew from fellow Konoha ninja…

"Thanks," Sasuke breathed in delighted surprise, looking over at her.

Hinata smiled. "No problem," she said. "I'm glad I could help! See? Having other people eases the burden, doesn't it?" she said gently, fondly.

He gave a slow, wondrous sort of smile at her. It lit up his face; he was beautiful. It occurred to her then that Uchiha Sasuke was really nothing like anyone thought… and that she'd just a couple of minutes ago called him Sasuke _-kun_.

She looked down, blushed, and smiled as hard as she could.

They saw their hands still connected… blushed, looked away, and removed them lightning-fast.

Sasuke cleared his throat, a little red-faced and embarrassed, and decided to lighten the heaviness in the air. Hinata clutched onto that instinct with desperate relief.

"So you want to be a healer… and I want to be a hunter nin," Sasuke mused, quietly amused. "A weird pairing. But a good one. You know… we're more alike than I thought."

"The same thought had occurred to me," said Hinata, smiling over at him.

He smiled a lot around her. It seemed infectious. She made him feel better. And Sasuke… he made her feel better. He was warmer and more encouraging deep down than she'd expected. She hadn't thought she'd find anyone else who could make her feel better like that. Sasuke was worlds apart from her family, though on the surface they acted similar.

And there was something… calming about their interaction. For both, she thought. Something she'd never experienced with Naruto.

He was a good friend, really…

It would only occur to them both later that this was, if they counted it out, at least another four points for each of them. Now they only had three left.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were good for each other once they'd decided to be simple friends and partners, because they were both so straightforward.

They bickered good-naturedly a lot, hitting playfully at each other, laughing. They were exasperatedly fond, loudly emotional, and quite direct.

It was… simple. It didn't have incredible depth, but it was fun and refreshing. They suited each other as friends. Sakura didn't put up with Naruto's bullshit, and once past his crush, Naruto turned out to be quite blunt enough not to put up with Sakura's.

That had been a surprise for Sakura. Not an unwelcome one.

So they told each other a lot about themselves in that first meeting, quite loudly and directly, with free honesty and flow of thought. Sakura learned a lot of sobering things about low lonely Naruto's childhood and even early school years had been, things that made her see him differently in a more sympathetic light. She learned about his gardening, his love for animals, and his closeness and loyalty to the people he decided were his friends.

Naruto in turn learned not just about Sakura's hobbies, but a lot about how much Sakura used to be bullied in school, and how self conscious she'd been of her low parentage, back before Ino had befriended her, gotten ahold of her, and done a serious self confidence makeover.

"It's why I forgave Ino so easily," Sakura admitted. "Ino did a lot for me. And I'm the one who broke it off with her over Sasuke - a pretty stupid reason, in hindsight."

She winced, ashamed of herself, but Naruto seemed more curious and to the point than judging. That was nice, too.

Then for the second half of lunch, Sakura grabbed her bookbag and ran with increasing excitement into that same main building hallway. She sat down, grabbed her laptop, opened it up, and opened her messaging.

 _Hey. You in? I thought this could be our regular time to talk._

A pause. Then he responded.

 _That would be acceptable. It's when I have lunch during training._

 _Me too._

 _I had the ramen. Thank you._

 _No problem! I'm glad you liked! Yeah, I was hanging out with my friends yesterday. Do you know, the weirdest thing happened this morning? That ex friend I've been fighting with for years… she came up to me and apologized to me today. We've been talking and catching up. What do you think? Are you good luck?_

 _If I am, that would be… a first._

Sakura laughed at the genuine bewilderment behind the simple message. Her pen pal said a lot with a little.

Then he messaged again:

 _I have to admit, I don't know if I believe in luck._

 _On an intellectual level? I think luck is happy coincidence. But some of us definitely have more than others._

 _I have none._

 _Joke? Or serious?_

 _Very serious. Sorry. I guess that sounds whiny._

 _No problem. Do you want to talk about it? It might help._

She sent the message and waited. It took him a long time to respond this time.

 _You would be afraid of me._

 _Hey, I'm not afraid of much! I am a fiery and independent woman, and damn proud of it! Try me. We're supposed to be friends. Friends talk each other through stuff, don't they?_

 _I wouldn't know. But okay. In the amusing interests of proving myself right, and since we're friends and allies both, I'll tell you. My father who forced me into this exchange would hate me telling you anyway, so I'm all for it. Wait for my email. It will be a few minutes._

Sakura sat, scrolling through her computer, waiting.

She had no idea the letter that was about to hit her.

The email came, a mini essay. She clicked, opened, and read with her usual speed… slowly putting a horrified hand over her mouth. She had a brief thought to shut the computer… but she didn't.

Because if anyone needed a friend, this kid did. But she had no idea what to say at first in response to this.

 _My father is the Kazekage of Suna. I am his youngest child. My birth killed my mother. Essentially, I killed my mother._

 _This is partly because of what was done to me before my birth. I was made what is called a jinchuuriki. I have a seal on myself, containing an evil demon made of chakra inside my body. This demon keeps me from sleeping at night. If I sleep, the demon comes awake and kills people. Meanwhile it eats away at my mind. This is why I read so much at night._

 _It has always been this way._

 _I was made to be Suna's weapon. I was born a monster. That's what my name means: "monster that loves only itself." My name is Gaara._

 _I fooled myself for about the first six years of my life. All the children and even the adults were terrified of me. I can control sand, and sometimes when people ran away from me in the streets, this empty heaviness in my chest would so overwhelm me that my sand would lash out at them, trying to yank them back toward me._

 _But my uncle, Yashamaru, always kept me from doing damage to anyone. The most I did was give people a few cuts and scrapes._

 _Yashamaru was the only person in my life who treated me kindly. My father hated me; my older siblings kept what they obviously considered to be a safe distance. But Yashamaru was kind._

 _One day, after I accidentally scraped a girl one of these times in the street, Yashamaru walked into my vast compound room and found me trying to slash my wrists with a knife. I was six. I was not suicidal, but I did not care about my life, for it had nothing in it. I just wanted to know what pain felt like._

 _I had never felt it, you see. I knew nothing about it. I still don't. My sand shields me from all blows, sometimes even without my conscious knowledge._

 _Yashamaru told me not to do that again, because the sight bothered him. I do not understand why. I asked him what pain felt like, and he tried to explain it to me. I said it sounded like what I felt like, carrying it around in my chest - all the time. Empty. I think being alone made me feel that way. Yashamaru also tried to explain love to me. I thought that was what I felt for Yashamaru._

 _I had injured Yashamaru, who had shielded the girl. Scraped him as well. I asked him if he hated me now, because I hurt him. He said it was very hard to hate someone over a cut. I tried putting ointment on his wound and then, wanting to fix what I had done now that I understood it, I ran to the little girl's house that evening to bring some ointment to her._

 _I was called a monster and the door was slammed in my face. This had happened before, but this time it bothered me more. I do not understand this either._

 _I was walking home, and a drunk tried to accost me, calling me a monster. He is the first man I killed. I was very angry for reasons I cannot explain. I do not really understand what killing and death means. I have never even bled. I suppose this should have bothered me more than it did._

 _I went back home and sat on the rooftop of my compound, wondering what was wrong with me. Then someone attacked me. My sand reflexively dealt them a fatal blow. I had no control. They were wearing a mask. I took off the mask and it was my uncle Yashamaru, who had tried to kill me._

 _He said he had been ordered to do it by my father, but he had taken the mission on willingly, because he hated me for killing my mother the day I was born. He implied that I was incapable of both love and loving, and told me my name meaning: "monster that loves only itself." I had never heard it before._

 _I had supposed I loved Yashamaru, but he told me I was wrong. He asked me to die, and then he blew himself up with explosive tags lining the pockets of his ninja flak vest._

 _Of course, I didn't die. The sand. I wish I had died. But death would have been too easy. I learned that I had been created as a monster, and that this was all I was, a weapon, and that was why everyone treated me the way they did._

 _So I am spoiled in many ways, given all the private shinobi tutoring I could want, but I do not go to a school because I am not human and I never will be._

 _I carved the character for "love" onto my forehead using my sand, sheer willpower overcoming my sand's defense mechanisms. It was a reminder to myself that I can only love myself._

 _For years afterward, my father has tried many times to have me assassinated. I kill all the assassins. I check all my food for poison. This is another reason I cannot sleep at night._

 _I kill other people too. It is what I was built to do. And… when I watch the light leave someone's eyes… the heaviness in my chest lifts. I feel something. Like my life has meaning._

 _That is my story. You will not talk to me after this, and I expected that. I am sorry you were paired with me. You should know before it goes any further, this was a bad idea in the first place._

Sakura got the feeling he'd never told anyone this story before. So her response was important, and she felt ill equipped in how to handle it.

But first thing, she messaged him:

 _I finished reading. Wait, because I'm responding with an email._

A pause. Then a message from him:

 _You're still here? Are you insane?_

 _Not to my knowledge. Give me a few minutes._

And nothing else from him. But she could see his little dot online. Waiting.

So she wrote him a letter back:

 _First, I have a few things to say. You can ignore them if you'd like, but you should read them._

 _Plenty of people's mothers die in childbirth with them. No one ever accuses those people of murder. The same applies to you._

 _I have been researching jinchuuriki, and as far as I can tell, their minds are not influenced by the demons they contain. This makes them in effect sentient, emotional, and human. Read these:_

 _LINK_

 _LINK_

 _LINK_

 _You sound very human. You have a horrible life, but you did feel love and you do feel pain. What you just described… that's exactly what they feel like. I think you feel better when you kill people because when you see the light leave their eyes, what you feel is human connection, which you're not getting anywhere else._

 _You can choose whether or not to play to everybody's ideas, and act like the monster and the weapon they say you are._

 _You should not wish you were dead. If you died, I would be sad._

 _I can't really speak to many of your experiences - I've never felt most of that. So I guess the most I can do is tell you about my own experiences._

 _The alienation you described from other children is considered a form of bullying in our culture. I was bullied, too. There was this girl Ami and all her friends, and they used to make fun of me and call me ugly and worthless. Then once I was bent over crying, they would start punching and kicking me, and they would kick me in the stomach while I was lying there on the ground. I would cry harder._

 _I've been self conscious of my appearance ever since, and I'm especially self conscious of my parentage. I come from a very poor, low ranked, weak, nothing special kind of family. I don't suppose that would rank highly with you, but you should just know, it's true. I'm from nobody, and my parents aren't happy and they're always fighting horribly and yelling at me._

 _I realize that's nowhere near as close to your problems, but it's true._

 _Since you told me your name, I'll tell you mine: it's Sakura, or "cherry blossom." I was born with full green eyes and a full head of pink hair. So that's what my parents named me. They're not usually poetic, so it's kind of weird._

 _My first best friend, the one I just made up with - her name was Ino - she saved me from the bullies, became my best friend, and made me feel fiery and pretty and self confident. Like I was worth something. She even encouraged me as a fighting ninja._

 _Then we started fighting over the same guy. I think we both grew up with the expectation that we would find the perfect guy and then we would be worth something. I was especially prone to feeling like that. Like I wasn't worth anything as I was. So I broke up with my best friend and became this horrible, awful fangirl._

 _It's funny. I've always been known for being so smart, but I still fell for the same social traps most girls do._

 _I broke out of that mindset recently, and found a good set of friends. Now I'm good friends with Ino again, who also gave all that up. And I'm still confident in myself. I guess I can say I'm finally happy - and healthy in the mind, too._

 _If you'd like, I can be your friend. If you don't want that, I guess that's fine too. But I'd like to be your friend. Friends support each other, encourage each other, make each other feel better, and they don't hurt each other. I'm not from your village, so maybe I would be even safer._

 _I think you could use someone like that._

 _I hope this helped._

Sakura took a deep breath… and clicked send.

* * *

Gaara read the email. And just sat there, breathing hard. He clutched at his head, and then his chest. Both hurt. They hurt really badly.

But… not in a bad way? Was that possible? He wanted to ask her… which was amazing and of itself. He hadn't felt that way… since Yashamaru.

But she wasn't Yashamaru. She had no reason to hate him. Father couldn't reach her.

Right?

Finally, he took a chance, his heart thumping, and responded in message form.

 _Everything inside me hurts, but in a good way, like I'm happy. Can you explain this? Why would you be sad if I died?_

A pause. Then:

 _Sometimes when I'm really happy, it's like I want to cry. I feel a lot at once. Maybe it's like that. I would be sad if you died because I care about you, and you're my friend._

 _So if a friend dies, one is sad?_

 _Yes. That's correct._

 _So… why risk that kind of connection?_

 _It's like a process of getting something and losing something else. What you get is feelings like this. Really strong, happy feelings. We trade that with possibly losing those happy feelings. It's what humans - like you and me - do._

 _So I am human… even though you have to explain these things to me? The premise that I am a heartless monster… is in itself false?_

 _Yes. Correct. You're one of the most honestly human people I think I know. And I do mean that._

Gaara paused, and just looked over what she had written for a long time. The monster and the flower. They made quite a pair.

Then he wrote:

 _Thank you… Sakura. I do not have much experience with friends, but you seem like a good one._

* * *

Sakura laughed in relief, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She wrote back:

 _Thank you. I try. I'm crying._

 _Why?_

 _For you._

He didn't respond for a while. Then:

… _Thank you_.

Two simple words. But there was a lot behind them.

Gaara. Sakura rolled the name around in her head. The Kazekage's son.

 _I like your name. I just don't like its meaning. Gaara is a nice sounding name. Would your father be okay, with you befriending a commoner?_

 _I don't give a shit what my father is okay with._

 _I am laughing. No, I suppose you wouldn't._

 _You are laughing?_

 _You are surprisingly funny._

 _That is a skill… I did not know I possessed._

 _You're definitely a straight man. You have a very deadpan sense of humor. Look up some comedy movies with straight men in them._

 _I will do that. This is the second assignment you have given me._

 _True._

 _I like them. Keep doing them._

Sakura smiled.

 _Well far be it from me to keep my orders from a person who actually likes the fact that I boss them around. I'll do that._

… _I read your story as well. I do not like your parents. But those girls who kicked you. They are the ones who make me angry. In Suna I would have killed them._

 _Gaara, can you do me a favor?_

 _Yes._

 _Don't kill any people I know unless we're in battle or I specifically ask you to._

… _This is a strange request. Okay. Is this how it is done?_

 _Usually, yes. Most humans only kill people in battle or under special circumstances._

 _You said I can choose whether or not I act like what people treat me as._

 _It's true._

… _Hm. I will try that. I am curious. You seem to have merit._

 _Thank you. That's actually a huge compliment, coming from you._

 _This is true. In my eyes, most people do not have merit. But I will refrain from killing them anyway._

 _That's a good step. I'm proud of you._

… _Thank you._

Then another message from him:

 _No one has ever said that to me before._

Sakura smiled sadly, tears stinging her eyes again. She herself had not known it was possible to feel this much at once. The story was so incredible… she almost wouldn't have believed it if he didn't fit his own story so thoroughly.

No one could have made that up. No one except a person who had actually gone through it would have thought to say some of these statements or questions. So she believed him.

 _Well. It's time someone started. See? This friend thing is working already._

She smiled as she sent the message.

Then she jumped as the bell rang.

 _I have to go. Class is starting for me. But we'll talk soon._

 _Yes. See you soon, Sakura._

 _And you, Gaara-kun! :)_

… _I like your enthusiasm and smiley faces. They are nice._

 _Aww. I still contend that you're kind of adorable and sweet._

She clicked out and closed the laptop, feeling happy at leaving him on a pleasantly bewildered note. Like a little kiss. He liked her smiley faces. That was… heart melting, actually.

She went to the bathroom and cleaned herself up a little bit from all the beaming and the crying. She arrived back in class to confused and curious faces a little late, something that had never happened to her before.

She did not tell anyone what she had learned - and she knew Gaara wouldn't say anything about her. Intuitively, she trusted in that. It was not his way; he was not that person. One could say that for him.

Similarly, Hinata and Sasuke kept silent about everything they had learned from each other. And both had expected for that to happen as well.

* * *

Gaara blinked at the screen, feeling oddly and curiously… what Sakura, with her pink hair and green eyes, had told him was "happy." She had called him by a suffix - presumably affectionately. She thought, absurdly, that he was sweet. What a strange feeling.

He liked it.

Hearing his tutor coming, he quickly clicked out and closed the laptop he had taken out just for this purpose, sliding it away in the netting on the side of the dresser beside his bed. When his tutor clicked through the door and into his bedroom, the old Gaara was sitting there coldly, the part of himself he was with Sakura tucked down deep away inside him once more.

This was important. There was more at stake now. He had to protect this - from any and all invaders. Most especially from his father.

No one could know.

But he would keep his promise to Sakura - the for-fun killing would cease. Nothing he had ever felt when killing compared to this anyway. Perhaps she was right… perhaps the idea that he was a monster that loved only itself… perhaps none of the signs pointed to that anyway.

After all, it wasn't like he would know.

He stood and brushed coldly and silently past his obedient tutor, back out the door and into the lion's den.

It would only occur to either he or Sakura later that right there, they had gotten through at least four points in one conversation - leaving only three left. They had even learned each other's parentage and names.

And between both of them… it meant something.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Both partnerships - Gaara and Sakura, Hinata and Sasuke - talked to each other almost constantly over the next week and a half. Of course, they both had their lunchtime sessions, where they would talk about their hobbies and their friends and family and how their days were going.

But though Sakura only talked to Naruto at lunchtime or in the middle of a friends group, she started talking to Gaara a lot outside their little lunchtime sessions. They traded numbers and she began texting him throughout the day. She sent him smiley faces, heartfelt notes, and cheerful little photos of her daily life; in turn, he began confiding in her as a sort of healing figure and letting her into little pieces of his own life she wasn't sure many had seen - everything from a horrifying piece of knowledge about his family to a beautiful sunset alone from a Suna perch.

Little did she know, Hinata and Sasuke were doing the same - texting constantly. It took them a little longer to get started, both being a bit shy and reserved with their feelings, but then they started texting each other little jokes, fun pictures, idle thoughts, and it snowballed from there. Whenever one was bored, depressed, alone, or sad, the other was who they started turning to in order to feel better.

Over the course of this, they certainly learned enough to be able to finish their essays, each person privately knew. The little details given added up into a very detailed picture of each other's inner worlds.

But for them, at least, Iruka's project was working better than even he had expected it would. Once they learned all this about each other, both sets of partners had trouble letting each other go.

They started thinking about each other a lot. Sakura and Hinata weren't sure what to think of these constant little images that popped up as a part of their everyday lives - there was a lot of emotional baggage hidden back there for both the objects of their thoughts and affections. For now, they kept this little secret to themselves.

Sasuke and Gaara actively tried to suppress the constant, warm little thoughts and images - with the result that they always came back even more strongly. Both wished there was someone in their lives they could ask about this, but Gaara didn't trust Temari that much and Sasuke thought somehow it would be awkward to ask Sakura or Ino about thoughts concerning Hinata.

One thing Gaara eventually asked for in frustration: _… I want to see a picture of you,_ he texted to Sakura one day. _I want to be able to picture what you look like._

 _Only if you give me the same!_

… _Sure_.

So she texted him a picture of herself, smiling sleepily, lying down on a cushion somewhere. She had a soft head of chin-length pink hair, beautiful green eyes, and a sweet, sleepy smile. He felt his chest do something strange, something he was sure it had never done before.

She was beautiful.

Incredibly, she texted next, _Sorry. Lazy on the sofa picture. I'll do a prettier one later. :)_

He paused, and texted back, _Do not insult yourself. You are beautiful._

Sakura saw the text, and felt warm little butterflies squirm in her stomach. She smiled and clutched a pillow to herself as hard as she could. Maybe she should feel like she was in danger, texting Gaara, becoming his friend… but when you really got to know him, she'd learned, Gaara didn't feel dangerous.

 _Thank you. I still haven't seen what you look like?_

So he texted her back. Oh wow.

He was actually really hot. When he'd said monster, somehow she'd pictured someone with fur and claws and fangs - basically, when he'd said he'd carried a demon. She knew he wasn't one, but she'd half expected him to look like one.

He didn't, safe to say.

He was very handsome. He had this bedhead mess of striking red hair, and piercing green eyes that looked like they'd been framed by kohl, golden skin and a serious, intense face, sitting straight upward. His inscrutable eyes peered down at her in the photograph - not condescending, just intensely focused. And she knew it was him, because sure enough there was the Love tattoo, carved above one of his brows. Behind him were rich purple silk hangings.

He was human - in appearance as well as soul and mind.

 _Sorry. I am not good at self photographs_ , he texted next.

 _Let's just say you have a natural talent. That's a great picture._

… _An unexpected reaction. Thank you._

He began asking for pictures of her a lot, and every time she sent one she asked for one back, partly to be playful and fair and partly because, well, _he was really nice to look at_.

Sasuke and Hinata also sent each other self photographs, but in a somewhat different context. Each was already well aware of what the other looked like, so they just included themselves in funny or silly pictures they took of whatever was going on around them during the day.

And if each kept those particular photographs in a special place of treasure on their phones… well, that was nobody's business but theirs.

At different points along this time, each pairing came to a sort of crisis or head.

* * *

Sakura's came first.

She was lying on her bed doing Academy homework one night when a text came. She checked her phone idly - it was Gaara. Her eyes widened.

It was direct and to the point:

 _My father just tried to have me killed again_.

That was it. He didn't even say whether or not he was okay. And Sakura was really alarmed, because she didn't know if he'd told anyone else and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to handle this. But she couldn't just leave him hanging.

So she took a risk and called him. It would be the first time they'd ever actually heard each other's voices.

It took a couple of rings for him to pick up.

"... Hello?"

His voice was - shaky, unstable, alarming - but underneath that… it sounded surprised. Uncertain. He was taking great, gasping breaths.

"... Sakura?"

"Hi," said Sakura with soft, hushed uncertainty. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

She flinched at the horrible laugh she heard issue from his mouth.

"I'm, uh -" He sounded high, unstable, severely something, kind of like he was having a panic attack. "I am covered in blood and sitting on a rooftop on the edge of Suna. They're… dead, I'm… fine?" There was a horrible smile in his voice. "I… I wanted to be closer to you. I guess that's dumb. You're still hundreds of miles away."

"It's not dumb," said Sakura with such certainty it surprised even herself, and it seemed to cut through his state even from all that distance away. "Look, do you want me to talk you through it?"

"You - you want to talk me through it?" He still sounded horribly, horribly amused.

"I…" Sakura took a deep breath. "I think this might go better… with a video conference call. If you can. Where I can see you?"

She had sat up ramrod straight without entirely realizing it.

She heard nothing but his breaths for a moment. He seemed to be thinking. "Yeah, okay." And his voice broke oddly. "You need to see… you need to see who I really am."

That sounded ominous, but Sakura told herself to buck up and clicked the video button anyway.

He was bathed in a weird glow, from the light coming from his phone and the moon above and absolutely nothing else. He was weirdly shadowy. But she could see him. Wide, crazed eyes; unstable, broken smile; blood stains.

He gave a harsh laugh at her expression. "Hi," he said with a cruel smile, and that was what broke through to her - his bitter amusement. He already expected to be rejected.

She took a deep breath. "Okay," she said firmly. "Talk me through what you're feeling right now."

He paused in surprise. "You're not… hanging up," he said, breathing oddly harshly. His face had fallen into a quiet something she thought might be shock.

His eyes were distant. That was when she caught it. It was like he was seeing right through her.

PTSD.

"Gaara," she said, "I need you to look at me. Can you hear me?" And her voice sounded concerned, worried. She smiled through her sudden blinding tears.

She was terrified for him. Not of him.

"I need you to look at me. Really look," she said in as straight a voice as she could muster.

"I am," he said, sounding harsh and confused.

"Okay. What am I wearing? Tell me." She put the phone back so he could see her on her bed.

She heard his odd, harsh breaths, and those empty green eyes flitted still wide to her body. "You're… you're wearing… a dress."

"What color is it?"

"It's red. And there are… I think there are shorts underneath and… your equipment pouch. You came from the Academy. You're on your bed. Doing homework.

"I should go, I'm sorry, I -"

"No! Please don't hang up!" Sakura begged. "You're - you're not bothering me!" she laughed in exasperation, tears still in her eyes. "This is more important!"

"... More important… than your ninja graduation?"

"That's right."

"... _Why_?"

"Because you're my friend. And I was raised to think friends are more important than whether I graduate up a rank."

"Ah. I got… the exact opposite kind of teaching," he said flatly. But at this he seemed to be… coming back to himself a little bit more. Falling more into the kind of person she had pictured when writing him. Someone quiet, neutral.

He let out a breath and leaned back against what she realized was a bit of traditional roofing.

"Are you… are you on top of a temple?"

"Yeah. Irony." He laughed unstably.

"Okay. Okay. Calm."

"Right." He swallowed. "Fuck, everything smells like blood… I'm... I'm really fucked up, aren't I?"

"I don't think in terms like that," said Sakura firmly.

"Thank God. This would never work."

"Gaara. _Calm_."

" _I am calm!"_ And then he was shrieking at her, his eyes mad.

"Okay. Okay." She raised her hand… and that was when he finally saw she was crying.

"You're crying," he realized. "I've made you cry…" And all of a sudden tears were welling up in his own eyes.

"Well - I'm just worried about you -!" This wasn't working. "Okay." She took a deep breath, and cleared her eyes, rubbing at them, trying to make her face as fierce as she could.

Though she wouldn't realize it herself, Gaara found this oddly… cute?

"You say when you feel something, it's in your chest," said Sakura, surprising him. "How does your chest feel right now?"

He checked in. "... Empty. Chaotic. It hurts. I -" And he was breathing hard, clutching at his head, his eyes going distant again -

Sakura put out her hand against the camera, so he could see it, so that it looked like she was laying her hand against him. He paused, stilling completely, startled. His eyes were completely focused on that hand.

"Gaara, I - I know you can't feel this, but can we pretend?"

He nodded, unable to speak…

"I want you to pretend… I'm very slowly and very carefully placing my hand… against your chest. And… I'm not doing anything… okay? It's just…" He was breathing hard, clutching at his chest. "It's just sitting there," she whispered.

And he eventually stilled… his breathing slowed… and his eyes were distant, but this time it was because he was concentrating. Imagining it. He relaxed, and Sakura realized he looked oddly… _tired_.

She hated his father.

And she just talked… about what was going on with her friends at school that day, and what her homework looked like, and what she'd had for lunch, and what Konoha had looked like today, the light grey rain that made the green trees look darker and all the little brick buildings and paved streets and lamp posts bathed in a mist… looking out the window at her view from her second story bedroom…

And she talked in this really soft, gentle voice… and Gaara was taken out of himself, and for a while he wasn't where he was. He was somewhere else, somewhere… beautiful, and she and her voice were the only other thing here, in his space… and from there, after a few tenses and then relaxes, in that moment he was… calm, and… safe.

He had relaxed against the bit of roofing, the phone relaxed in his hand, looking off into the desert moonlit Suna skyline and breathing deeply by the time she had faded off into silence. He looked over to find her watching him in concern.

He snorted and smirked, and it looked more normal this time. He swallowed. "... Thank you," he said hoarsely. "I know that isn't exactly what you signed up for when you requested this assignment. If you want to leave, I'll -"

It hurt even to say it. But she was giggling quietly to herself.

"It's not what I signed up for," she admitted, sounding shaky, weary, and relieved. "But it's okay. You're worth it." The smile she gave him was… beautiful, and bright, and genuinely fond.

That look in her eyes… It had always been reserved for other people, here in Suna.

He slid down to lay flat on the rooftop, staring at her in the viewscreen. "I kept my promise," he whispered. "They are the only people I've killed."

He was rewarded by seeing her whole face light up.

"Good," she said warmly. "I am glad… Gaara-kun." For some reason this seemed to revive her; she straightened and she shone, vivid again. He loved hearing his name coming from her lips and he did not understand why.

He liked it when she looked happy, like that. He decided he was going to keep making it happen.

"I feel very strong things for you," he said. "Good things. I wish I could understand what they were so I could tell you." His voice was very small.

She smiled, blushed, looked down. "I feel… very strong things for you too," she admitted, looking amused by something he couldn't quite understand. "I really care about you, you know. I'm glad you called," she added out of nowhere.

"... Why?" he asked, mystified. He asked that a lot around her.

"Because it means you trust me… at least a little. And that makes me feel happy. Because I trust you too."

"You… trust me?" Something strange pinged inside his chest, and he blinked, puzzled.

And she smiled, and looked deep into his eyes, and said, "I trust you not to hurt me."

Her eyes widened in concern as she realized he was clutching his chest and breathing hard again, his eyes welling up.

"Sorry," he forced out. "Sorry, I -"

"It's okay, it's okay." Her voice was so soft, so gentle. She smiled through the phone, but she seemed concerned.

"I like your voice," he said quietly, all of a sudden everything inside him going calm and relaxed and nice. Because, of this, he was certain. He looked up at her, totally vulnerable without entirely realizing it, and he asked, "Can we talk again?"

Then he came back to himself. "I promise it won't always be like this," he added wryly.

Sakura laughed in a watery sort of way. Gaara decided he didn't like making her cry. With other people it was okay if they cried. Not with her, though.

How odd.

"Yes, I would like to talk again. And yes, maybe not like this so immediately," she admitted, laughing breathlessly.

He smiled and just looked at her for a minute. "I have to wash this shit off," he admitted at last, and he set her off again. "No, really, you wouldn't believe it, it takes _ages_. My father's true punishment is fifteen piles of laundry."

She was laughing. He loved that.

Loved. Loved. _Loved_.

In some way, somehow, he loved her.

And he'd broken his promise, and when he looked at her he didn't care.

"You watched my movies," she said warmly, pleased and impressed.

"Yes. They were good. I need a new assignment," he said expectantly. "A new human assignment."

She chuckled. "I will work on that," she promised.

Then she did the strangest thing. Her eyes gentled and she reached out and moved her fingers in a peculiar gesture, as if to run a finger over the side of his face, or a hand through his hair.

He shouldn't be able to feel her on him, but in a strange way, he _could_ \- perhaps because he could hear her voice now, see her move.

She was a real person to him at last.

"Just so you know," he said matter of factly, "I'm probably going to text you about fifteen times tomorrow. But after that things should go back to normal."

She smiled. "I will be waiting by my phone," she promised.

She was right. He was trusting her. That should feel more dangerous than it did.

* * *

Hinata's moment came a little later, and a little less violently.

But in his own way - and she'd already guessed this - Sasuke had his own brand of PTSD. He'd essentially been psychically tortured by his brother, watched his family be murdered in front of him. Was he reminded of it less?

Debatable. He lived exactly where it had happened. Alone. In the dark.

So maybe she should have expected it a little sooner than she got.

She was sitting in her bedroom crafting one evening when she got the phone call. She saw it was Sasuke and answered absently.

"Hello?" she said quietly, putting the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she fiddled with a piece of jewelry on the bed in front of her.

"... Hinata…?"

"Something is wrong." Hinata sat up immediately, frowning, putting the jewelry down. "What is it?"

Sasuke's voice sounded - different. High, childish, soft. He began whispering and murmuring to himself.

"Sasuke," said Hinata in a falsely calm voice, her eyes widening, "Sasuke, I cannot understand what you're saying."

"I - the memories stay buried most of the time. And then it gets bad, and some of them go unblocked," he said, still in that high, childish voice. He sounded scared. "Hinata… they're _everywhere_."

"What are?"

"... The _bodies_."

"... Okay." She was breathing hard; she made a decision. "Okay, Sasuke-kun. There are only two options here. Either you're surrounded by a bunch of dead people as yet undiscovered by Konoha ninja… or you're having a flashback.

"I take it you'll only trust me coming over. And I take it you're at your compound.

"Yes or no."

"... Y… Yes."

"Okay. I'll be there in ten minutes. Stand in the road outside your house, and wait for me there."

She hung up her phone and put it away in her pocket. She crept out of her room… looked both ways… and crept out of her own compound… down the roads… through the gates…

And then she took jumping to the rooftops, running - sprinting - to make it to the mostly abandoned Uchiha Compound that Sasuke stubbornly refused to move from.

She made it through the creaky, rickety old gates, which were rotting off their hinges. She turned on her Byakugan eyes, which meant she could _see_ everything as she crept through the blackened little roads full of eerie, abandoned buildings. Doors and windows gaped like broken holes at her, like staring eyes. Every little itch she had felt like a spider, or cold fingers.

Sasuke lived in this place?

… It… _felt_ like there were ghosts here.

Hinata wanted to turn back. She wanted to turn back very badly. But her friend Sasuke needed her.

So she pressed on - found his chakra signature - ran towards it. And paused, there in the empty street that had once been thriving with people, its paper lanterns now covered in cobwebs hanging from the ruins of skeletal building framework. His body, through her Byakugan X ray, was _screaming_ with chakra. She turned off her Byakugan.

And for the first time she really saw him.

He was crouched there, clutching at himself, his face twisted madly with rage, almost a part of the blackness around him. His long waves of black hair fell into seething, screaming red and black Sharingan eyes. His nose wrinkled with suppressed fury, his red eyes shrieking at her.

Despite this, except for an occasional soft, hushed breath, he stood there in almost total silence.

Hinata stood frozen, paralyzed with fear.

At last, he laughed, a cruel, horrible, mad laugh. "H… hi, Hinata," he said hysterically.

She swallowed. Her face and eyes firmed. She turned back on her Byakugan.

"Sasuke," she said, cold and soft, "I am not your enemy. You can turn off those eyes."

His eyes widened in surprise… and went black. His face slackened. Then he suddenly looked alarmed and ran toward her, clutching at her.

"Hinata," he said, still in that same child's voice, "Hinata, run. He's going to get you."

"He's not going to get me."

Sasuke made a visceral sound of fear, clutching at her, wide, terrified eyes seeing things happening to her that she couldn't even imagine.

She clutched back at his shoulders, bent over, and looked hard into his face. She could see his vitals with the Byakugan - he was panicking.

" _Sasuke,"_ she said in a hard voice, _"he's not going to get me. There is no one here. Your evil brother is gone."_

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath… and slumped over. Hinata ran and caught him. She knelt with his head in her lap and looked with sharp concern into his face, her Byakugan eyes fading away.

"... Sasuke?" she breathed, frightened. "Sasuke-kun, come back to me…"

And he sucked in a sharp breath, looked at her, and his eyes fluttered open. He really saw her for the first time since she'd arrived.

Hinata broke into a smile, breathing deeply, tears stinging her eyes. "There you are… I was terrified…" she laughed softly.

"... Hinata?" He frowned slightly and put a hand on her arm. "What's wrong? What are you doing here? I -" He grabbed her shoulder and tried to sit up, looking around. "Why am I dizzy?" he asked groggily, in a normal tone, clutching at his head.

"Lay down for a minute. I'll tell you what happened." She lay his head gently back down into her lap. Confused and somehow vulnerable, he looked back up into her face.

His eyes slowly calmed, an unseen tension lifting from his expression as he stared serenely up at her, as she stroked his temples with her thumbs and told him in a soft voice what had happened.

"I saw two sides of you: the pure rage, and the scared little kid. The two sides you try to repress, the two sides you never let anyone see."

"... And you're still here. That's amazing," he said frankly, blinking his eyes as he looked around and tried to come back to himself.

"I am always loyal to my friends," said Hinata firmly, and despite himself Sasuke smiled up at her, a rare, genuine smile. "You were thinking about the past here at night, yes?" He scowled and looked away. "Perhaps you should do that less often."

He looked up in surprise - found her smiling calmly in amusement. With her… he also felt oddly calm.

"Yeah," he admitted, his lips twitching a little toward a smirk. "Maybe. I do wake up out here sometimes… I didn't even know I had the Sharingan," he admitted, finally sitting fully upright. "I thought I was…" He looked away. "Defective," he muttered.

"You do not have to hide that from me. I thought I was defective for ages," said Hinata smoothly. "It is not true with you anymore than it is with me."

He looked sideways at her and smiled a little. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"Anyway, it looks like one part of you already has it. Maybe a part you shouldn't try to consciously access," said Hinata worriedly. "He was… a deeply rageful, vindictive human being, Sasuke. Not like you. He won't do what you like. He won't save your friends, or behave in predictable ways, or do what you feel is the right thing.

"Do not let him define you. Now you know you have the Sharingan. Some bloodline limits only activate in contact with battle, and you haven't had any."

"Itachi had it before then," Sasuke muttered.

"And do you want to become Itachi? Hm? Look what happened to him," said Hinata in a hard voice. Sasuke flinched - and Hinata softened. "It is okay," she said firmly. "Everything is fine."

Her surroundings screamed that this couldn't be less true, but she told those ghosts firmly that she was not listening to them!

After that, it just seemed like a dark, moonlit street full of abandoned buildings.

"... You're right. I don't want to become him," Sasuke realized seriously. "So I guess…" He sighed. "I'll just have to wait for battle. I can't let Itachi win.

"It's nice, though," he added, "to realize I do have it, after all.

"Your asking Konoha Jounin for help and becoming a hunter nin idea is a good one," he said thoughtfully, sitting back. "After that… after I kill him… everything will be over."

"Well. Hopefully these ghosts will be at peace, and hopefully you will be too. But not everything will be over," said Hinata worriedly. Sasuke looked over at her sharply, but this time she looked in a hard way back, refusing to be cowed. "Sasuke, I saw those people," she said with deep concern. "Those people you can't usually access. They remember things you don't… things you might not want to remember unless they become absolutely necessary."

Sasuke nodded, looked down. It was an admittance that she was right.

"... They listened to you," he said quietly, looking up, and there was deep meaning in his dark eyes. "You were able to turn the rageful one… into the scared child… into me."

Hinata blushed and looked down, reflexively embarrassed. "Well," she said, "I just tried to help my friend -"

Sasuke put two fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. Her breath caught; she felt herself get lost in those dark eyes in a way even the Sharingan could not match.

He looked at her, her violet-silvery eyes wide and sparkling, somehow warm and comforting despite their lack of pupils, a deep blush on her cheeks, her lips slightly opened, long hair framing the curves of her face…

And he realized what he felt was love. Of some kind, in some way. He felt… love.

He hadn't even known he could feel that again.

"Don't belittle what you did," he said quietly, and then he stood neutrally, leaving her kneeling there stunned in the street.

"Come on," he said, turning back to the house, the only well kept up, well lit, warm one. The inside would be spare and spartan, focused mostly on training and exercise equipment and healthy food - functional and modernistic, but home. It was connected right to some storm cellar doors leading down into a dark, cool little underground cavern filled with training scrolls. "You can meet the chakra spirit guarding my family scrolls who is a cat, but is not a cat. I will make you food. That way you can tell your father you were going out to dinner with a friend.

"And all you will get in trouble for is not telling him."

His back was to her, but it was actually a deep act of caring and remembrance on his part. She smiled at his back, and stood.

"Okay. Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said, and her voice was warm.

She couldn't see it, but he smiled too.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata were group texted one weekend afternoon by Ino. They were now heading into their fifth week of project partners next week, out of seven total.

 _Yamanaka Flower Shop. AKA my family's place. Emergency. NOW._

The two girls hurried over - only to find Ino waiting behind the counter of the glittering shop filled with flowers, a furious glare on her face.

"You two," she accused, pointing, "both have a man!"

Hinata and Sakura suddenly looked horrified, terrified, nervous.

Ino slowly walked out threateningly from behind the counter, making her points on one hand. "You keep staring off into space… you text and send pictures constantly… you smile at weird texts at random moments… you flick through old pictures like you're dying… you suddenly have less time than you used to… I never see you anymore… You both have a man.

"And you haven't told ME!" she exploded, insulted, stamping her foot. She looked genuinely pained.

And then she was just ranting to their surprised faces.

"I mean, REALLY! Am I not THERE for you?! Am I not the FRIEND who appreciates GOSSIP?! DO I NOT TRY HARD ENOUGH TO BE THE GIRLFRIEND EVERY GIRL TURNS TO WHEN SHE HAS A NEW GUY?!

"WHAT IS LIFE?! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?! _WHY_ WOULD YOU _NOT_ -?!"

Ino was actually down on her knees, screaming to the skies.

"Okay, okay, Ino-chan, Ino-chan." They hurried to stand her up.

"So." She stood, hands on her hips. "I want details. _Now_."

They sat down in Yamanaka Flowers and told her… not the deeply emotional, personal stuff, but the basics. That it was Sasuke, who Gaara was. How things were going. Ino listened to what they told her, nodding along, and surprisingly all the girls handled it very seriously with great maturity.

"So you like them… but you're a little kunai-shy and you want to hold off," she clarified.

They nodded.

"Okay. Here's my idea." She clapped her hands. "It sounds like you guys have been really serious lately, so it's time to have some fun!

"I want you to give them a little test drive. Throw out a hint of what your favorite flower is. See if they make a move on their own.

"Then, separately… you have both told me why it didn't work with Sasuke or with Naruto. Wear the same outfit and take the new guy out on the same date. A little more virtually, in the case of Sakura, with phone in hand. And it's not really a date. It's just two friends hanging out. Low pressure. _No_ expectations.

"See how it goes. Trust me," she said, winking.

"... You really think the hint about our favorite flowers and the taking them out for our favorite stuff… will work?" Sakura asked with bright curiosity.

"I hadn't thought of that!" said Hinata with dreamy brightness.

Ino sighed and put her face in her hand. "Okay," he said. "Clearly you both have an ability to attract hot guys, but _please_ consult me for any future relationship advice, because _good God_ you two are oblivious.

"That's like the first thing you do!" she exploded, exasperated, and Sakura and Hinata jumped in surprise. "Oh, and here's a tip," she added, grinning teasingly, and both girls became uneasy. "Since you guys are in 'just friends' phase, and it seems like those guys are even more in denial than you are, you can _totally_ show him your bedroom if you want to.

"And it won't even be weird."

"Somehow I doubt that," said Sakura flatly, blushing.

But Hinata had sighed. "You give good advice," she admitted in a long-suffering tone.

"Hell yeah I do! Let's get some tea!" Ino cheered, waving her hands wide, and she yanked the surprised girls through the flower shop and further into the depths of the house. "Now, I _have_ to start seeing you guys again, because it's been _very_ lonely with no girls to gossip with…"

Their exasperated, fond smiles and her loud, strident voice faded off down the hall and further into the depths of the house behind Yamanaka Flowers.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Hinata took Sasuke over to her place first. "I've seen your home," she said. "I want to show you mine."

"Your Dad won't like me being there," Sasuke warned her skeptically.

"Oh, I have more important things to do than worry about what my father thinks," Hinata scolded gently, her face tough.

She had been acting much tougher lately.

Sasuke smiled. "Okay," he said gently, understanding. "Sounds fine."

Sasuke had been right. Hinata met him outside the Hyuuga Compound gates one evening, and the minute Sasuke stepped foot inside and walked down the central walkway, Hyuuga Hiashi was standing there, a tall, forbidding man in white kimono robes with long dark hair tied severely back. Hiashi's face was thunderous, and his eyes were whitish with no pupils and somehow much colder and creepier than Hinata's, in Sasuke's eyes.

The two preteens paused. Sasuke felt Hinata freeze up beside him, and for some reason this made him irrationally angry - it put him on the defensive. He felt his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, and a glare coming over his face.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Hiashi demanded of Hinata. "The Uchiha?"

But Hinata was braver than anyone had given her credit for. She took a deep breath, toughened her face, and said in a small but firm voice, "We are doing a class project together. That is why he is here. For school and the Academy."

She was fudging the truth a little bit; Sasuke understood and he accepted it.

Hiashi glared at Sasuke one last time, and then backed away begrudgingly. "Fine," he said. "Finish your project and tell him to leave." He strolled coldly off down a lefthand walkway and out of sight behind a building.

Sasuke leaned over. "Is all your family like this?" he muttered.

"Yeah," Hinata admitted, wincing. "Pretty much. Don't worry, though. Stick with me. They don't notice me much."

Sasuke looked down at her in concern, but Hinata didn't seem to think anything of what she'd said. She padded away, and he followed her.

They walked down a series of neat roads and cheerful, well lit, well kept up buildings. Excepting for the cold looks he got, Sasuke was relaxing, cheerful. This felt oddly like… home, he thought longingly.

They passed by a central garden in the outside middle of the compound.

"I love this garden," Hinata breathed, smiling, her hands folded in front of her as they walked. "Those are my favorites." She pointed out some elegant white lilies growing at the side of a pond, a little water fountain trickling nearby. "But no one has ever brought any to me."

She smiled. This genuinely hurt; it wasn't an act. But she smiled anyway.

Sasuke peered over at her curiously, discerning.

They found the building housing her massive room and slid off their shoes, padding inside. Sasuke paused just inside the doorway and looked around in surprise. It was… a very warm place. Inviting. Not like his place.

Hinata's bedroom was focused on colorful craft styles, warm patterns. The center of her room was the comfy chairs and cushions everywhere. There were bean bags, armchairs, polka dots, bunting, and crochet. Fun prints, textures, and patterns were all mixed together. Warm orange and yellow tones were evened out with pale blues, blacks, and whites.

He smiled a little, despite himself. "It's… cute, cheerful. It suits you," he admitted, fondly amused.

Hinata smiled. "Thank you," she said, ducking her head playfully. It was… strange, seeing him in her bedroom, tall and dark-haired, pale and handsome and elegant, in his casual dark clothes. It looked… weirdly like he belonged there.

"Come in," she said, smiling, fighting down a blush as she invited him into her bedroom.

Sasuke walked in, somewhat unaware of what he was doing.

They sat down cross-legged on the floor together and she showed him all the things she had talked about - her flower pressing albums and craft projects, her herbal tinctures and recipe books. Sasuke listened quietly with this strange little smile on his face. He realized he was being invited into her world.

He'd never expected to have been let deep into anyone's world - he wasn't that kind of a person, he'd thought - but somehow he liked the sensation.

Hinata blushed and smiled, delighted as she showed him things and he listened respectfully. He seemed genuinely interested in her. It was a blessing.

The next day at school, Hinata went to her usual seat before class and she paused in surprise. Hidden in the desk space underneath her section of the table - was a quiet bouquet of white lilies. She read the note attached: _There. Now someone's brought you some._

She smiled over at Sasuke, who was looking forward, feigning neutral casualness. He chanced a glance over - and felt a little jump, a little squirm, in the pit of his stomach at the beautiful way she was smiling at him. He felt like he'd won an award, like he'd proven someone right in the most wonderful way possible.

Then: "So, hey." She sat down, feigning casualness herself. "Do you want to hang out after school sometime later this week?"

* * *

Sakura video conference called Gaara one night on her phone. He answered and looked calm, neutral, but relaxed, at peace, and pleasantly surprised. He had finally grown to trust her completely and was acting much less insecure; letting her into his life had become the new normal for him, and somehow he had become less on edge with other people in response.

He wasn't sure why this was, but it helped him in his secret new vow against useless killing, so it was fine.

"Sakura," he said, his voice a pleasant lilt. She liked the sound of it. She realized that just then and she blushed. He frowned, a little furrow between his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"Oh - nothing!" she laughed. He still looked pretty cute when he was puzzled. "I just… I'm a little embarrassed… I wanted to show you my bedroom. I realized you've never seen it."

A pause. "Okay," he said, sounding confused, but interested. "I guess I haven't. Let's see, then."

"Okay." She took out her phone and panned it around the room, showing him the space in a complete circle. Silence. She could see him watching on the screen genuinely attentively, leaning over and looking closely.

She liked that silent attention, she thought with a squirm in the pit of her stomach. She liked it a lot.

"So that's my desk. That's where I do most of it," she said as she showed him around.

Sakura's desk and study space was the main focus of her bedroom. It had floating shelves with framed prints and photos, a white and pastel theme, and lots of organized essentials. The desk itself was slender, with a fur throw over the white wicker desk chair and a marble effect light.

"... Now I can picture you there. This is good," he decided, sitting back. He imagined her, enjoying a book with a little smile, curled up in the desk chair with her feet up the way she enjoyed sitting, snacking on tiny little shining candies.

"Yup!" she said cheerfully. "And here are… my endless piles of books…" She panned jokingly around the messy floor. "I've framed some of my favorite puzzles on the walls…" She panned up to her walls. "And - oh, here's my cat. He's sleeping." She showed Gaara. Sakura's fat orange cat was on his back on his little bed, mouth open and feet straight up in the air. She giggled. "At least he's relaxed," she said, wryly amused. "God knows that's important."

Gaara actually chuckled.

Suddenly, there was the sound of shouting and crashing downstairs. Sakura winced and turned back to a concerned Gaara on the phone, embarrassed.

"Is someone attacking your house?" he asked in a deep, dark voice, straightening with deadly seriousness and razor sharp intensity. For just a second, she saw him as other people saw him, as the jinchuuriki and the ninja and the Kazekage's son.

Gaara wasn't sure what he was about to do, but he had wild thoughts of talking her through escaping the assailants and then running to Konoha as fast as he could.

"No," she admitted sheepishly. "That's just my parents arguing downstairs… Here, I'll go sit back down on my bed." She went to sit and curl up on her bed, showing him as much of her as he could see. Somehow, it was different, when she noticed him looking her entirely over as he always did while she was sitting on her bed.

Stupid Ino, getting into her head.

"Yeah." She winced again as she heard a particularly loud shout and a crash downstairs. "They, uh, they do this a lot? I mean, we're not famous, but we're not super poor or anything. They just… clash like oil and water. I really don't understand why they got married? Sometimes I think it's because of me… Kind of the same year…"

She squirmed uncomfortably.

"There is nothing wrong with you," said Gaara, frowning. "And it isn't your fault."

He had these amazing moments of perceptiveness.

"Thanks," she said, relaxing and smiling. "The good thing is, unless they're giving the first degree, they never notice _anything_."

Despite the fervency of her statement, her smile was sleepy and tired. Those sleepy smiles were the kinds of smiles that always made Gaara's stomach do something a little bit funny, the feeling intensified if he thought about it going about his daily life… or if he imagined what it would be like with her making that smile right in front of him.

But he didn't want her to look tired and sad, like she was fading away. For some reason… he didn't like it. He liked her bright, her eyes vibrant.

So he had to try to make her feel the way he liked seeing.

"Here, I'll show you my space," he decided, standing and hoping to distract her.

This was actually a big reveal for him - few had ever seen Gaara's inner space - but he just felt the normal nervousness he would have felt in this situation. If anyone could safely see, it was Sakura.

He panned around. "Wow…" he heard her whisper, her eyes wide, bright, and glittering. So something had worked - even if she did seem a little bit awed.

He supposed the room _was_ grand. Soft piled carpets, vases on end tables, and the massive canopied bed with blue and purple silk hangings and rich embroidery and deep colors.

"This is the laptop." He pointed downward at the netting attached to the dresser beside his bed. "That's how I usually talk to you. This is the bookshelf…" He took her over to the wall beside the door, far left. It was floor to ceiling filled neatly with books. "And this is my compound." He walked her to the window and she looked out over a vast desert wonderland, adobe curving walls with red clay slanted paneling roofs running around a big central courtyard in the desert moonlight. "You can't see well, but those are the cacti."

"I can see them…" she said, leaning forward, smiling, a vast sea of thriving cacti in the middle. Now she sounded impressed. He felt oddly like he'd done something wonderful.

Which was silly. They were just plants.

"Wow. You take care of all of those on your own?"

"Yes. It is one of the only things that makes me happy besides you." The statement was simply matter of fact. Sakura smiled and blushed, looking downward. She was pretty, thought Gaara, when she looked like that. "I don't mind. It is no trouble." He brushed his curtains to the side so no one could see in his window anymore.

He sat down cross-legged back on the bed. He could still hear her parents arguing. "I wish there was something I could do," he told her, feeling oddly… sad. He decided he didn't like feeling sad, especially when it came to Sakura.

"Oh, there's not much." Sakura lay back on her bed, smiling, so it looked like she was looking up at him from the camera. Gaara's stomach did an odd little flip. "Little things make it better. Gifts from friends, that sort of thing."

"What kinds of gifts?"

She paused. She hadn't actually meant to lead into this - but Ino _had_ suggested it.

"Oh, little candies, new books." She smiled sheepishly. "I like wildflowers," she admitted. "Little flowers, you know? There are shops filled with them all over around here, but no one ever gets me those."

She smiled at him as hard as she could. Gaara was thoughtful…

The very next day, Sakura was just walking home from school, going up her home's front steps, when a runner delivery boy came sprinting up to her from the central Konoha shops in the sunny afternoon. He handed over… an entire bouquet of pressed, dried flowers in beautiful, intricate looking, strange arrangements. They were pressed between two things that looked like fake historical book pages.

It was almost its own little dried flower arrangement sculpture.

"You have a good friend," said the delivery boy, impressed, as he backed up. "You're Haruno Sakura, right? You wouldn't believe this, but somehow we got that anonymous call from out of country! Very specific, too."

Sakura smiled. "Somehow, I believe it," she murmured. This was… definitely above and beyond.

She clutched the fake pages to her chest… edged back into her house… her father wasn't home and her mother looked tired with tea at the table… Sakura sprinted sideways up the stairs to her bedroom.

She put the arrangement carefully down on her desk, smiled at it for a moment, feeling oddly… glowing. Then she took a photo and texted him.

 _I got the gift. It is one of the most beautiful things anyone has ever given me. Thank you._

Gaara got the text in the middle of training with his siblings on a desert training field, and he got the strangest feeling, looking down at it with careful neutrality that hid wild ecstasy, the feeling that he'd done something incredibly good right. The kind of feeling he'd never gotten from a technique.

"... Gaara?" said Temari, as his two siblings looked over at him, cautious and puzzled.

"Sorry. I still have to play Father's penpal game," he said in his usual scathing voice.

"They're still… talking to you?" said Kankurou, carefully stunned.

"You sound surprised. I am a good actor," said Gaara, glaring flatly up at him.

"Right, right, sorry, sorry -!" Kankurou laughed uneasily.

Make that _really_ good actor. Gaara should have been a fucking thespian. His idiot brother still seemed to be operating under the delusion that his life was in danger. Gaara never threatened him anymore, so he had to chalk it up to being a really good actor.

A useful shinobi skill, anyway, and an unexpected one.

Then Gaara looked down, feeling gentler and somehow tender as he saw the picture and the message, and texted back.

 _I'm glad it turned out well. You're welcome._

Then came her next text, and it made his stomach do something a little funny again:

 _How would you like it if we went out through our separate villages together, connected by phone? Kind of like a virtual hangout around the village?_

Like he was hanging out with a friend…

* * *

Hinata and Sasuke met at a little green bench on a wide Konoha avenue.

Sasuke had felt, weirdly, like he kind of had to dress up a little for this. It was stupid. He was just hanging out with a friend. Right? But Hinata was the friend and… for some reason, that made it… different. So he'd chosen a pair of dark jeans and a clingy dark tee with a white collar.

He saw her standing there by the bench, hands folded neatly, looking around with a quiet little smile on her face, and as usual he felt… calmer. Immediately, when he saw her. He smiled, a little warm feeling glowing within him.

Then he registered how she looked.

She was wearing a brightly colored poodle skirt that was reserved but showed off the wide curves of her thighs and calves nicely, the dimples in her knees. Above it was a tight-fitting dark tee, her large, curvy rack in clear definition. She wore a playful little scarf kerchief around her neck, and she was equipped with sensible navy slip-on walking shoes, a small handbag, and no makeup, not that she needed it. He actually… liked it better this way. A fake little white daisy flower tucked back one sheet of her long, thick dark hair, which fell beautifully around the curves of her face and neck. She looked… pure.

She looked around, the sun catching silvery-violet eyes, warm with no pupils. Her quiet, serene little smile made him feel… nice. Instinctively… nice.

He realized she made him a mixed, bizarre combination of incredibly poetic and instinctively teenage awkward.

She saw him, and she smiled at him, everything about her brightening in delight. He registered that feeling in his gut at last as butterflies. Ecstatic butterflies. She was… beautiful.

"Wow," he managed in a slightly strangled tone.

She looked down, smiled beautifully. Then she looked back up playfully with a smaller, little smile. "Wow in a good way?" she asked teasingly.

It… hadn't even occurred to him that it could be 'wow' in a bad way.

"Yeah," he said, staring at her, mouth slightly open, his voice still a little strangled. He looked down, blushed, and cleared his throat; his voice sounding weirdly gruff when he spoke next. "Yeah, in… in a good way."

"You clean up pretty good yourself," she said in a blessedly light, easy tone of voice, smiling at him. He looked back up and smiled, relaxing and just feeling… good.

"Thanks," he said wryly, amused, and she giggled. The sound bubbled up through her chest, which moved slightly, into her throat…

He straightened and took a few awkward, jerky steps, blushing. "We should… uh… we should go," he managed.

She looked curious at the way he was behaving, but she didn't seem to mind. "Okay," she said. "Let's go. Come on. I wanted to show you that walking path I told you about on the first day."

That sounded… really good, actually.

They walked, and he was weirdly shy for a couple of minutes. She walked beside him patiently, humming softly and looking around peacefully and waiting for him to talk. Finally, he managed a wry comment about someone passing… and she responded in equal light-hearted amusement.

They had the same sense of humor, and she liked people-watching too.

So they walked, and observed what they saw, the beauty of their surroundings, and they talked and joked around, laughing softly. He felt incredibly… warm.

And after a while, the rest of the world just fell away. The murderous goal, the orphaned status, the memories, the hatred and the darkness. None of it mattered, for a brief and blessed period of time that he felt inordinately grateful for.

Somehow, it all always seemed simpler with Hinata. Obvious. What, after all, with his new goal and his new realizations about human connection, did he need to dwell for anyway?

There was just the walk, and the people, and the beautiful scenery, and her with her smiles, her jokes, her observations, her easy laughter. She was beautiful, and he wanted to reach out and touch her in the strangest kind of desire, and all of a sudden he was noticing _everything_.

Hinata jiggled absolutely everywhere, and he drank everything in: smile, breasts, face, thighs, curves and softness and warmth and glowing little lights. She was kind of glowy when she sweated during the hike, and before he could stop himself he was imagining her as warm and full and damp, and that was when he realized he was imagining her in his arms and he looked away in a brief moment of embarrassment…

Before his eyes tore back to her again, unable to help themselves. And he kept noticing. She moved, and some part of her body jiggled, and he _noticed_ , and he couldn't think too long about that because then she was saying something, and then she was smiling or giggling or laughing, and she was beautiful, and -

And before he knew it they were sitting at a little diner with shiny blue booths and retro pictures on the walls and soft, old-fashioned music. Hinata ate a hearty meal and she recommended the mixed milkshakes, and they were delicious, they sipped at the straws across from each other beaming like in a dumb movie, and he just sat there and talked and he realized he'd never been this talkative with anyone his own age before -

And he didn't deserve this, he wasn't that kind of a person, and he never would, and he had her anyway. In some way, even as a friend, he did.

He realized he had thought about her as more than a friend just then, for a split second… and his mind flitted away from this because it was too much for him.

Hinata's hormones were running haywire themselves. Sasuke did look nice in the different outfit, and his intense, warm black eyes never looked away from her, and he was smiling slightly and he looked happy and that was beautiful, and it was a little intoxicating, having that level of interest on _her_. And he was all lithe, pale musculature, that he worked out a lot was suddenly obvious - arms, legs, abs, all slim and covered in a light sheen of sweat.

She blushed and tried to focus on his face. Which was handsome itself. Tried really hard.

As a ninja through and through, she didn't entirely succeed.

* * *

Sakura had come up with the rather creative idea, and Gaara had agreed partly because he was curious and partly because he felt that incomprehensible something flutter in his stomach at the idea of hanging out with her.

The first thing she did that day was text him a full-on picture of herself, head to toe, dressed nicely and standing in her bedroom. _Ready to go,_ read the caption.

Clearly he was meant to, so he took a good, long look.

She was… beautiful, he'd already known that, but it suddenly became _very_ obvious. She was girly, feminine, and beautiful, wearing a breezy little red dress with white polka dots, gleaming colorful butterfly clips tying back either side of her short, messy pink hair. She wore makeup, strappy brown sandals, she carried a string purse.

He didn't really deserve to be this happy. Not after some of the things he'd done.

Because then he was really looking at her, and he tried to imagine what she smelled like, what her skin felt like. For some reason he pictured vanilla, though he wouldn't have minded if it was different - a nice little surprise. Her skin looked silky smooth.

And then he imagined running his fingers down a silky smooth back, down low-slung willowy hips, across a body obvious because clothes just naturally clung to its frame… and to a bottom that was small and tight and…

And then he was imagining it in his hands, her breath in his ear, her body up against his.

And he swallowed, and tried to push the thought back, because it was dangerous. This didn't work at all. He just kept getting more aroused, more aware…

Feeling hot and warm, which were somehow different feelings, he finally managed a coherent text. _You look… stunningly beautiful._

Somehow the statement didn't feel like enough.

 _Thanks. :) I want to see you!_

He felt a burst of fondness at that little smile. Feeling somehow awkward, somehow like a teenager, he sent her an unusually self conscious picture back. He'd dressed up a little - he wasn't sure, but he kind of felt like for a day out he was supposed to. He wore a silky crimson and gold shirt with clasps down the front, and dark pants. He was absent of his usual goard. In a bout of purely cosmetic nonsense, he had decided it made him look bent over and he was literally surrounded by endless piles of sand anyway.

Good God, what was this girl doing to him?

 _Wow… you look really nice…_

He felt yet again like he'd just won some sort of fucking award. He hadn't known it was possible to feel this much at once.

They met as they'd agreed, each at a lamp post in the central parts of their villages, like they were meeting each other. And then, phone in hand, they just… started walking, and talking.

They alternated between text and video conferences. Sometimes they shared pictures or ideas, sometimes they called each other and talked, showing each other things. They went to the same sorts of things - museums full of art and technology, then thrift stores and junk shops. They traded pictures of interesting, old little items, quirky things, and they talked through video about the ideas behind different pieces of art, Gaara thoughtful and philosophical.

But it was Sakura who initiated most of the thoughts, ideas, art pieces.

Sakura, Gaara was realizing, actually _was_ brilliant. She hadn't been kidding. And as they talked and traded pictures, yet again he wasn't in the village where he was so hated anymore. He fell into a serene little place that only the two of them seemed to inhabit.

He wasn't alone anymore, and he nearly felt a lump in his throat at the strange, impossible, absurd thought.

But it remained. This confused him.

Lots of people stopped to stare, open-mouthed, as he walked through the village talking to someone on the phone. Gaara wasn't sure many of them had ever heard him speak or seen him look human before. The shop clerks were always especially stunned.

In a bout of incredible and unusual recklessness, Gaara decided they could all go fuck themselves.

Sakura, meanwhile, was fascinated though she didn't say anything by the glimpses she was suddenly seeing into Gaara's village. And by Gaara. Tall and lanky, he was not awkward at all. Instead, he moved with a rolling, silent, serious cat-like grace, and he had a boyish sort of prettiness to him, with a slim face and slim wrists. His eyes when they looked at you were always intense, and Sakura realized she always felt hot all over and caught up in them, brilliant as they were and ringed by black.

He was wonderful-looking, actually, and she blushed rather frequently. He did notice this, and it seemed to confuse him.

And Gaara slowly felt caught up. In this world where it was just her and him, this strange, serene place, he couldn't stop looking at her, the graceful way she moved, her brilliant colors and soft breezy femininity, the way her clothes clung to her body, to her bottom… which was nice. Very nice. And he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before, now that he saw her move; it was like he'd been walking around blindfolded all his life and suddenly he could see.

He finally identified, possibly, that feeling he felt in his stomach. He'd read about it in books and thought it was a stupid metaphor. "Butterflies."

No, it turned out, they were real.

She was perfect and he didn't deserve her and he had her - in some small way - as a friend from another village. He realized hungrily that he wanted more than that, and somehow that seemed like an absurd thought but he couldn't break himself out of that mindset… he didn't deserve more, but he _wanted_ more… something he couldn't entirely define. He couldn't help it.

They each sat by their lamp post on the ground and talked for… a long time. Neither of them wanting to let each other go. They lingered, just… talking.

Finally, she smiled and looked down apologetically, looked back up at him with those beautiful, shining, happy green eyes. She had never seemed more vibrant. She was the realest thing he could think of and he'd never met her face to face. "I have to go," she said. "Dinner-time."

He looked around in surprise. "It's late," he said in realization, and he smiled reflexively, a little wryly, when he heard her giggle. Around her, he _felt_ human, somehow… like a teenage boy. Like he'd caught up to everyone else without realizing it.

"Yeah," she said warmly. "Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?"

He wondered, suddenly, if she thought about him outside these talks as much as he thought about her. He wanted her to. Wanted to know what the rest of her life was like. And that was when he really broke out of the mindset. Took a deep breath, like coming up after ages underwater, an absurdly poetic thought… and he was back in Suna, empty and hot and full of hatred and danger.

"Yeah, I - I should go," he admitted hoarsely, swallowing.

They hung up shortly afterward, with promises of emailing each other more detailed thoughts later. "We're both nerds," said Sakura, smiling playfully, "so it should be no problem."

All of a sudden, he had a grouping, and he liked that she'd included him in hers.

He still felt warm somewhere deep down inside, smiling a little, when he walked into his compound… and found his whole collected family there in the vast indoor sitting room, father included, staring at him like he'd gone insane. Baki was there doing the same.

Those same old eyes - cold and afraid. He felt anger curl his mouth before he could stop himself, giving hateful eyes at his father. His father, who had brown hair and a thinner stature and different, narrow and unringed eyes but who looked so much like him. But his father looked discerning, almost… concerned? From his seat in the living room.

"... Gaara," said Kankurou faintly, in the same kind of tone he used to use when Gaara had brutally murdered someone particularly important, "are you okay?"

"Plenty of people saw you out today… smiling and talking to someone on the phone… out amongst the public… not hurting anyone… without your goard," said Temari slowly, looking just as concerned as their father.

"I told you, I am a good actor," said Gaara coldly, stiffening and straightening. "I was talking with my penpal. This is good diplomatic relations, yes?" he asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

And he still enjoyed everyone straightening in fear except for his father.

But Baki couldn't help blurting it out incredulously: "She knows who you _are_? What you _look like_?"

"Obviously she does not know everything," Gaara lied scathingly, as though they were all being very dim. "But she asked who I was. What was I supposed to do, be rude and secretive and say no, like I had something to hide? Wouldn't that have looked suspicious?"

He felt weirdly like he was justifying himself. Through lies, too.

Everyone continued staring at him like he'd just grown a second head. Which could actually happen, what with the demon and all. But he was sure it hadn't.

"Problem?" he growled out softly in his most dangerous tone.

"It… was a really good act," Kankurou choked out incredulously. "I… saw it?"

Gaara hadn't seen him. That was odd. Then again, Gaara hadn't really been looking at anyone.

"Thank you," said Gaara with cruel, smirking sarcasm. "If you all came out just to compliment me, I think I'll go to my room now." He passed to the right across the living room boldly to head in a frigid way up the staircase to his bedroom.

"Gaara."

Gaara paused, feeling a pure surge of hatred he tried hard not to let show on his face at his father's voice.

"Don't lose sight of our goal," said his father simply from the armchair, not looking at him.

The weapon goal. Not Gaara's goal. His father's. His father's fucked-up, pigheaded, useless goal. Never before had Gaara seen it for the gigantic load of bullshit it truly was.

And Gaara entirely relaxed in that moment, his face truly neutral. Because in a great moment of insight, he realized his father was a pathetic, deluded excuse for a human being who had grown up in a cruel, cruel world.

And Gaara felt _sorry_ for him.

This somehow gave him the correct amount of satisfaction he needed to remain calm.

"Of course, Father," he said, without a trace of the irony he felt in his heart, and he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

* * *

They all dreamt that night. Gaara went into a trance-like meditative state sitting upright in bed to get the rest he needed for a few brief hours each night, it was not actual sleep, but he still managed to dream that night anyway, sinking down into images and sensations, a rather impressive feat. The others, of course, were fast asleep completely.

Gaara imagined pressing himself up deep against Sakura's bottom, her willowy hips moving, his fingers sliding over her silky skin, lipstick and the scent of vanilla… And he felt strangely predatory, feral, as she moved against him and leaned her head back, vibrant, eyes softly closed, and he ate it up hungrily.

Sakura imagined Gaara's dark, intense eyes pinning her down, her legs wrapping themselves around his slim, boyishly pretty, graceful body as they moved together and he sunk deep into her, graceful and hard and fast, scents of musk and sandalwood. His face became suddenly vulnerable, stunned with some silent emotion. Warmth, hardness, quiet, intensity, gasping, clutching at each other.

Sasuke imagined his arms full of Hinata, everything full and warm and pressed against him, breasts and thighs and hips. The scent of sweat. He imagined her sweet eyes widening, her lips parting, a blush coming over her face as he sunk deep down into her. And yes, what he felt was slightly predatory. Possessiveness.

Hinata imagined running her hands over Sasuke's pale chest, strangely vulnerable, over slim, rippling muscles and abs as strong, slim arms wrapped around her and he sunk deep down into her. His black eyes widened, his face was intense and tender, so close to hers, and she was so caught up and -

And then they woke up, hard and aroused, hot with sticky sheets in their beds.

Confused and embarrassed teenagers.

And they would go to school and talk to each other tomorrow morning and try hard to pretend that these feelings, these daydreams, these pretendings, weren't there. Gaara and Sasuke would pretend all the sappy love songs didn't suddenly make sense to them; Hinata and Sakura would pretend they didn't get that happy little thrill of excitement every time they saw or heard from the boy always in their minds.

The girls did tell each other, though, and Ino, Ino who was always giving them sly grins, Ino who clearly thought Christmas had come early. Yes, they told Ino.

Despite all the pretending, over the final two weeks of their project, the feelings remained. As did a certain dread over the prospect of this project coming to an end. What if everything went back… to the way it was, before the assignment? That felt so… empty.

Strangely? They weren't the only people in their class or even on the international level who felt dread at the prospect of the dream ending either. Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Sasuke's friends, for one, felt almost sick at the idea of going back to the way things used to be before these seven and a half weeks. Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji - all three.

Iruka's project might have worked a little _too_ well - and proved a little _too_ thoroughly that all ninja were essentially humans who benefited from and needed social contact, just like anyone else.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Hokage looked over the final paperwork - reports from the last seven weeks - at his desk in his office. All relationships and friendships had been thoroughly documented. Iruka sat nervously before him, fidgeting.

"... Yes," said the Third Hokage at last. He smiled warmly up at Iruka, putting down the paperwork. "Yes, this is definitely worth continuing. An excellent programme, Iruka, absolutely superb."

The compliment was muted, but warm and firmly meant.

"I will send out a memo to all Konoha ninja immediately."

Iruka swelled up, feeling like his heart was about to burst with pride. This had been worth it, after all.

"Iruka," said the Hokage right before Iruka left, sounding quite serious and solemn. Iruka turned back, surprised, in the doorway. "For the future Genin teams, I am making a rare four man team under Kakashi: Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto.

"Kurenai gets Ami, Shino, and Kiba. My own son Asuma gets Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino. Sakura's pen pal in Suna, meanwhile, will be placed under Baki with his two elder siblings. I can sense it; I _know_ their father.

"Those are the teams I am most interested in," the Hokage warned. "Especially for the Chuunin Exams… when they will all meet here in Konoha to compete together in a few months."

Iruka nodded. "Understood," he said seriously, understanding, "Hokage-sama."

* * *

After the memo was sent out, Iruka walked into the break room at the Academy the next morning, practically sashaying with pride, his head lifted. Everything among the other teachers went silent when he came in.

Iruka hummed in a superior sort of way, getting his coffee to brew, pretending not to notice them.

"... Well, Iruka," said the grizzled old senior teacher at the middle table at last, "I don't know how you did it. It sounds like a crock of bull.

"But good job - whatever you did. Good job." They all looked serious, respectful.

Iruka smiled and looked around from the coffee maker. "Thank you, sir," he said warmly, bowing his head slightly once. "To be truthful, I'm not sure even I know everything I have just changed, the scope or the significance of it.

"But I believe it is all for the better."

On everyone's way out of the break room, Mizuki gave Iruka a wink.

Iruka was quite pleased with himself, happy and warm, when he came in front of his class that morning.

"Okay!" he said, hands behind his back, in the expectant silence, near his teacher's desk. "Turn in all partner essays!"

And in a great shuffling, everything was handed forward in piles and the project was over.

Iruka took all the papers and stood in front of the class, holding them.

"Now," he said, smiling, "don't think that just because this project is over, you have to go back to the way things were. If you made friends? Keep talking to them. I encourage that.

"It is, after all, what this whole project was for. Fostering human connection. That's important, I hope you have just learned to understand going into life as ninja."

Several students who had been tentative and sad handing in their essays - including the main group - relaxed and began smiling in relief, brightening.

Iruka smiled back. He thought they might have needed that little reminder. His one last gift to them.

* * *

Outside during lunch, the big group of friends all met in the front courtyard, strangely shy, standing around gruffly.

"Oh, come on!" Ino finally exploded, rather scathingly. "We're all friends! Let's just go and have lunch together! We're going to Ichiraku's this afternoon and I'm not paying!"

She broke the tension in a way that was usually Naruto's gift. Everyone relaxed and began laughing.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, lifting a fist. "Let's do it!"

It was childishly enthusiastic, but somehow it made everyone feel more decisive - warmer, braver. Naruto had that gift.

"Tch. Troublesome," said Shikamaru, who was smiling in amusement. "But I guess I agree."

"Yeah. Let's go have lunch," said Chouji cheerfully, shrugging. Ino opened her mouth - "Ah." He grinned and pointed at her. "No food nagging." Ino scowled, one of her more recent lessons coming back to her mind.

Smiling and chatting, Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura walked off across the front courtyard to the grass and the shade of a tree to have lunch together. Spring was almost over. Birds twittered around them.

Hinata and Sasuke shared a shy, blushing smile as they walked off together.

Sakura took out her phone and texted Gaara. _The project is over… but I would like to keep talking to you and writing to you and… being your friend, if you'll have me._

Somewhere in Suna, Gaara - who had been, unusually for him, a nervous, high-strung wreck all day since emailing that teacher his essay - weakened in relief as he read the text, feeling tears spring to his eyes. He began typing back so fast his fingers hurt in a flash, there in his room over lunch.

 _I would like that, too. I will always have you. Please keep being my friend._

Sakura smiled, so many emotions in her heart, and she typed back, _I can do that. I will always be your friend. I care about you, Gaara… more than I think you realize. You always manage to make me feel… I don't know, like I'm worthwhile. I must admit, I was worried we wouldn't talk anymore._

Gaara smiled so hard his face hurt and clutched to the connection on that phone, his lifeline somehow preserved. Nerve wracking, wonderful, terrifying, stupendous.

"I will always be your friend. I care about you… more than I think you realize." She had been worried. Like he was. He felt fondly exasperated. Clearly she didn't understand the kind of effect she usually had on everything from his outlook in life to his nerves. He was risking himself, frankly, letting anyone hold this much control over whether or not his life _itself_ seemed that worthwhile.

He wrote:

 _You do not have to worry about me. You have done so much for me, I will always be loyal to you. You are my best friend… I care about you, too. I was worried we wouldn't talk anymore. You are honestly one of the only truly worthwhile people I can think of. (You are also one of the only people I can think of who would be laughing as you read that sentence from me, which is amazing all on its own.) … You make me happy._

It was dangerous to send, but it was true. And 'friend'… didn't seem like the right word. But it would have to do for now. No matter how badly he wanted more of her, here, right now.

 _I would like to meet you someday,_ he added, with hidden longing. _Perhaps when we both test for Chuunin, or on a mission._

 _I will wait eagerly for that time! :)_

She was waiting. She smiled for him. He pictured her, smiling in his mind. The only truly trustworthy person he knew. And there was so much dividing them… and so much keeping them close together.

 _I promise not to make you wait too long._ And God, he meant it.

That was it. He was hopeless.

In Konoha, Sakura sighed daydreamily, realizing she wanted their meeting to come right now. She never had been very good at waiting, but she would have to try.

Up ahead of Sakura in Konoha, Sasuke and Hinata were talking. "Still friends?" Hinata asked, smiling worriedly. She was worried and it was… incredibly endearing.

Somehow, the word 'friend' seemed inadequate for whatever the hell it was they were. But still, Sasuke gave a small, fond smile - fonder than it should have been for him - and he said back, "Friends. Of course." To him, somehow, this seemed obvious now. "You're the only person who's seen that godawful compound and all the shit that comes with it, stuck around, and survived… you changed a lot for me… and you're - I mean, you're genuinely wonderful. I can't just - let that go," he said hoarsely, waving his hands a little as if to emphasize, the kind of histrionic gesture he felt was never to be used. But he meant every word.

And he should have felt awkward, but with Hinata, quiet and smiling gently at her, he didn't.

Hinata positively glowed with delighted happiness. She looked up at him, awed, blushing deep red. It was beautiful. He wanted to tell her she was beautiful… but maybe they weren't there. Not yet.

And maybe, in spite of stupid family rivalry, maybe one day they would be. Sasuke realized… amazingly, absurdly, the impenetrable Uchiha Sasuke realized he was hoping for that. He hoped she'd be his.

"I like you, Sasuke-kun," Hinata admitted earnestly, and Sasuke blinked, surprised. "Not on the outside. As a person, on the inside. You are very warm and strong and… you make me feel good." She nodded, decided. "I like you very much. You are a good person. You are my best friend."

Thoughtlessly, firmly, her decisiveness cute, she shifted his whole world. He was a good person - her best friend.

"I promise to try to live up to that…" he said softly, in something like surprised awe that anyone would call him either of those things and mean them.

And as he smiled slowly, he felt fond, and hopelessly tender, and on top of the world all at once. This should have seemed absurd… but with her it felt natural, like breathing.

None of them knew exactly what the future would bring. But they knew they cared about each other. And in that moment all four of them - Sasuke and Hinata, Sakura and Gaara - were totally, unadulteratedly happy in each other. Their connections would stay after all. And deep down… each really hoped the other picked them.

Gaara put down his phone in Suna and went back to lunch with shaky, delighted hands, feeling for the first time in his life warm and whole… falling slowly into an odd place - deep breath, in and softly out - an odd place of impenetrable, stable calm.

He was different now. And he liked that.

Beaming, Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke hurried to catch up with their newfound Academy friends in Konoha. Life for them would slowly go back to the new school-time normal now, they knew…

But even as life went on for all four in this brave new world, those hidden feelings and affections would remain.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Naruto, I don't understand why you don't seem more worried about the graduating Genin Exam tomorrow." Sakura's tone toward her friend was severe. "We did so well on the big spring project, but now we have to graduate out of the Academy altogether and suddenly it's like you don't even care."

The line of friends were all standing at the front of Iruka's usual classroom amid the rest of their classmates, near the teacher's desk: Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto were all watching Ami, Shino, and Kiba go up to the very front one at a time.

Iruka stood before them with a grading clipboard and pencil in hand. Behind him on the blackboard read the words: _Review Session - Graduation Exam Tomorrow!_

"Koroto Ami!" Iruka called.

Ami smirked and strutted forward, putting her hands in a hand seal and channeling her chakra energy around her body. "Henge!" Using a ninjutsu, she transformed into an exact copy of Iruka, who smiled and nodded, grading her on his clipboard.

"Very good, stand aside," he said, and Ami went to join the rest of the finished classmates at the other end of the front of the classroom, near the window. "Next: Inuzuka Kiba!"

Kiba walked forward from the crowd at the front to perform next.

"Ah, why should I be so worried, Sakura?" said Naruto, lazily. "It's a beautiful, sunny morning."

"I know that, you optimistic goof, but -!" Sakura began, irritated because she was worried.

"Sakura's right, Naruto," said Hinata softly, frowning in concern. "You've been much better behaved lately, not pranking like you used to do before we were all friends… but you've been failing a lot of tests, and you still can't do the Bunshin ninjutsu."

"The test is _tomorrow_ ," Sasuke emphasized with quiet sarcasm, frustrated that his thick friend did not seem to be hearing him. "Explain exactly how you're going to pass if they test on that?" He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Hey, Shikamaru's not doing any work!" said Naruto indignantly, waving to their perpetually lazy comrade.

"Yeah," sighed Shikamaru, arms behind his head, "but I _can_ do the Bunshin."

"He's also not exactly a work ethic to aspire to," said Ino.

"Thank you," said Shikamaru dryly as Chouji began snickering.

Ino smirked. "You're welcome."

Kiba was finished; Shino had just walked off having passed the review as well.

"Thank you, Shino." Next, Iruka called, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto swaggered forward, grinning.

"Oh, no…" Sakura put her head in her hand. "I know that look. I can't watch."

"Here we go," said Sasuke, deadpan, as Hinata sighed.

Naruto put his hands in a hand seal and channeled his chakra energy. "Henge!" And he transformed into… a busty naked woman who winked and made a pass at Iruka.

"Pass me, Sensei?" she cooed.

Iruka had just enough time to have a complete, annihilating, staring meltdown before Naruto transformed back into himself and began laughing so hard he bent over, clutching his stomach.

"I call that the Sexy Technique!" he gasped out through his laughter.

"Stop wasting your time inventing dumb techniques, and start studying!" Iruka yelled at Naruto, gasping out the words through his red-faced outrage, even as the rest of their class started laughing. Iruka turned to the other friends. " _Please_ tell me you can make up for that performance by _doing six perfect Transformations_."

"Yes, Sensei," said Sasuke amid their embarrassed friends, eyeing Naruto ruefully.

Hinata smiled at him quietly, warmly, when he wasn't looking. Sasuke really was a better friend than he gave himself credit for.

* * *

The seven of them all went out to dinner at Ichiraku's that night.

"Have a big test tomorrow?" Ayame asked brightly from the counter, as Teuchi gave them a sly wink and began sliding bowls in front of them.

"Yes, ma'am. We're hoping to graduate into beginning Genin rank," said Sakura politely.

"Wow. Big step," said Ayame, impressed.

"It's time," said Sasuke frankly, shrugging.

"I suppose it's true that we've learned about all we can from the Academy…" Hinata mused, and Sasuke gave her a small smile. She always seemed to know what he was trying say.

"Well, I, for one, am not looking forward to this," said Shikamaru. "Think about how much work this is going to be."

"Come on, don't you like _competition_?! Adventure?! Challenge?!" Ino asked, fists raised, trying to get him excited, as Chouji wolfed down food beside them.

"No," said Shikamaru flatly, and Ino slumped, glaring at him. "What?!" he said defensively, annoyed.

"It's Shikamaru, Ino," said Chouji through a mouthful of food. "What did you expect?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full of food," said Ino with huffy delicacy, crossing her arms.

"Well I think this is yet another step on my road to becoming Hokage!" said Naruto proudly.

Ayame smiled and slipped silently away unnoticed as the friends began talking amongst themselves. She and her father Teuchi shared a fond look over their favorite customers.

"You still have that dream?" said Shikamaru curiously, not judging.

"Naruto is not one to give up on his dreams so easily," said Hinata fondly, looking over at Naruto warmly, and Sasuke felt a weird ping of jealousy he wasn't sure he liked.

"Well I'm with Naruto," he said, faux casual. "If I want to become a hunter nin, I have to _ace_ this test."

"Exactly!" Naruto pointed his chopsticks fervently at Sasuke. "This is just a roadblock. I'm going to become Hokage and make the whole village acknowledge my existence! Just you watch," he said, turning to his food.

"The leader of the village is a noble goal," said Hinata, "but it's important not just to be the strongest ninja around. Hokage are voted in at Konoha village - so impressing and winning people over is important, too."

"Eh. I got this," said Naruto with typical ease, shrugging. "I'm going to beat out all the other Hokage in terms of popularity!" he added proudly.

"Even the Fourth? That would take some doing," said Sakura curiously. "We all know the Fourth's story. It happened the year we were born; it's become legend. A young and brilliant ninja, he died saving the village from the great nine-tailed demon fox, a monstrous being made of pure chakra that attacked Konoha, sealing it away in secret. That's why the Third had to take up the post again."

Thinking of Gaara, she knew that the story of a demon sealing was a little closer to her heart than she liked to admit.

"Child's play compared to what I will do!" Naruto crowed. "But first…" He grinned, his eyes narrowing mischievously. "To get that hitai-ate Konoha symbol band to start wearing around when I ace that Academy test tomorrow… and become a ninja..."

Secretly, whether they'd admit or not, all of Naruto's friends wished they had his confidence even in unwarranted situations.

They all waved and called goodbye, separating to go back to their homes after dinner. Each left nervous about the big Exam tomorrow -

The seemingly simple one that decided so much. The one they had been preparing for over at least the last four years.

* * *

Gaara in Suna was put through a strict set of rigorous, punishing tests far beyond Academy level with his tutor at the compound on that last day. He came back to his room dripping sweat.

Kankurou and Temari were waiting beside the door to his rooms, looking serious. Each already wore a Suna symbol hitai-ate.

"We need you to ace that test," said Temari neutrally, careful. "We all know Father wants us to become a ninja team."

"And you have doubt," Gaara sneered, "that I will fail an _Academy test_?" He slipped past his siblings and into his set of rooms, shutting the door coldly and rudely behind him as they scowled and went carefully silent.

Safely in his innermost room, the one where he usually talked to Sakura, Gaara at last relaxed against the closed door. He frowned, becoming more human and pained, clutching at his heart.

"I hate being mean to them…" he whispered. He'd been feeling that more lately.

 _They're your siblings, the family that doesn't try to hurt you, and they're afraid of you,_ he heard Sakura's soft voice say in his mind a couple of weeks ago. She'd sounded mutedly sad over the phone. _It's… natural. To want to trust them even when you feel you can't._

Gaara sighed, the sound echoing loudly in the empty, silent, alone room.

Dinner waited for him on the wood chest at the end of his bed, steaming hot from a servant. He walked forward to eat his silent dinner alone, wondering what Sakura was doing, if she was out with her friends…

* * *

Hinata called Sasuke that evening from her bedroom.

"Hey," he said, answering, a bit sleepily as he'd been about to head for bed. "How do you feel about tomorrow?"

He was a little bit expectant; he was fairly sure it was something.

Hinata smiled, the fondness clear in her voice. "You always do know…"

"Something like that." He smirked. "We've been friends for a while, haven't we?"

"We have. I'm nervous…" Hinata admitted. "Every time I think about a big test, I… I start thinking about the past, and then I freeze up. Wondering if I'll do the same thing this time. Not give enough, become too gentle…"

Sasuke listened, frowning.

"Well worrying about it is the quickest way to actually freeze up," he pointed out, laying back on his low pallet bed. "You'll just have to do your best. For now, go… make something, take your mind off things.

"And your family isn't exactly a good litmus test for the rest of the forces, as far as I can tell. I sit and stand beside you in Academy classes. You _do_ give enough. Every time, actually.

"Being a nice person doesn't make you a bad ninja."

Hinata let out a shaky, emotional breath, a trembling, genuine smile coming over her face. For a moment she sounded like her old shy, self conscious self again. "Thank you… Sasuke-kun…"

He hated hearing her sound so fragile and afraid.

"Try not to worry tomorrow. Watch Naruto screw up instead; it'll be funny," he said casually.

Hinata laughed; it worked. "You're so mean!" she scolded, smiling despite herself.

Sasuke leaned his head back and laughed, freely, the sound echoing oddly in the previously cold and empty house.

* * *

Gaara called Sakura from his own bedroom on the same evening.

"I… wanted to catch you before you went to bed…" he admitted uncertainly. "Sorry if I woke you…"

"It's okay. I'm just curling up with a pillow, reading," she said in a warm, smiling, sleepy sort of voice, and he felt the old sensation, butterflies again.

"You went out with friends tonight?"

"Yeah. One last hurrah before the big test tomorrow. You too, huh?"

"Yeah, I have the Exam tomorrow, too. I wish I were there… with you… I… I don't know, I just wanted to hear your voice," he admitted, embarrassed.

"Rough day?" she asked, now sounding concerned.

"Oh, no more than usual. I can handle it," he said scathingly.

"You know," said Sakura matter of factly, "considering some of the 'normal' days you've handled, that's not very helpful."

He laughed softly, surprising himself.

"No," he admitted, a smile still in his voice, a warm and quiet one. "No, I guess it's not." He sounded rueful. "Well… I was pushed really hard today, and… then my siblings stopped by…"

"Upped the ante?"

"They pointed out I'm supposed to be put on a team with them."

"How old are they?"

"Two and then three years older than me."

"Wow. So, no pressure or anything," said Sakura, her eyebrows rising.

"I can handle it. It's just… annoying. And… it doesn't help that I don't want to be here. I -"

"Wish we were together. Yeah," said Sakura sadly. "Me, too. I think about you sometimes - you know, during the day."

Gaara's head shot up, ridiculously hopeful. "You - you do?" he said, his throat suddenly dry. "I… think about you, too. A lot," he admitted. "More than I probably should."

"Be careful. Don't let yourself get attacked during one of those thoughts," said Sakura wryly, smirking.

"I'll… do my best," said Gaara, sarcastically amused at the idea of anything being able to hurt him. He heard Sakura chuckle on the other end of the line, her little breaths.

That was enough to tide him over.

"Thank you," he said quietly, already calmer, but a great longing was now inside him - half joy, half terrible sadness. "Goodnight, Sakura..."

* * *

The next morning was the Genin Exam at the Konoha Ninja Academy - though it was pretty universal everywhere, including in Suna. It tested on all the basics: genjutsu illusions, taijutsu hand to hand, long distance throwing weapons, ninjutsu, and an academic test.

In Konoha that afternoon in their usual classroom, they had just gotten to the final portion - the ninjutsu portion. This test would be done privately in Iruka's adjoining side-office. Everyone sat expectantly in tiers before him, tense, the home stretch in sight. Mizuki as proctor stood beside Iruka at the front of the room.

Everyone, even Kiba, Shino, and Ami, had made it this far. Though they didn't know it, hundreds of miles away in Suna in another Academy classroom, all the seats around him emptied by terrified surrounding students, Gaara of course had done the same.

Back in Konoha:

"As you know," said Iruka matter of factly up at the front, all business and hard to read, "the standard Academy exam decides randomly to test on one of the three main ninjutsu. A different one is chosen every year. Today's chosen ninjutsu is the Bunshin - you must make realistic illusory clones of yourself. We will call you into the office one at a time."

All six friends looked over tentatively at Naruto - who had frozen, pale, wide-eyed and terrified.

Uh-oh.

Each of the other six - Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke - went into the office one at a time in front of Iruka and Mizuki sitting at Iruka's desk, and did the assignment with ease. They did the hand seals, channeled glowing blue chakra in a strong stance, and made at least three perfect illusory clones of themselves.

"You pass," Iruka told them, smiling, and as their clones dissipated each walked up in delight to receive a shining new hitai-ate in a huge pile at the front of his desk. They had worked hard in different subjects all day, and now their ordeal was over.

Ino tied her hitai-ate around her waist, slinging it like a belt. Shikamaru's was tied around his upper arm. Chouji's was tied around his forehead. So was Sasuke's. Hinata tied hers around her neck like a kerchief. Sakura threaded hers through her short pink hair like a hair ribbon.

Then Iruka told each of them individually, after they'd tied a hitai-ate on: "Please pass right through the classroom without looking and wait outside in the front courtyard until everyone is finished. Congratulations, new Genin of Konoha." He gave them one last sad, proud smile.

Each student took their phone from the bin by the door, slammed through the classroom door, and walked down the linoleum hallways and out into the Academy front courtyard for their last time as a student.

Sakura immediately texted Gaara a picture of the hitai-ate threaded through her short pink hair like a ribbon. _New Konoha Genin! :D_

Gaara saw the picture, having just passed out into the sandy desert Suna Academy courtyard himself. He smiled - it was a pretty picture. He imagined for a moment running his fingers softly through her hair.

He texted back a photo of a Suna symbol hitai-ate tied around his lithe, muscular upper arm. _New Suna Genin. I did the same. We made it._

Of course she'd made it, he thought to himself. He couldn't imagine any differently.

Back in Konoha, Sakura saw his text and smiled. She admired for a moment the ripple of his warm-looking upper arm.

Hinata and Sasuke saw each other - hers around her like neck like a kerchief, his tied fiercely around his head - and they smiled shyly, approaching one another. Of course, Hinata thought in amusement, Sasuke would go for the aggressive, standard, and traditional wearing. Tall, lithe, poised, and muscular, he was just that kind of a person.

And Sasuke told himself that it was more important that Hinata had passed into ninja, and it was definitely _not_ important that her hitai-ate positioning made her rack look more impressive.

Not at all. Totally a crude and inappropriate thought.

"See?" Sasuke smiled with quiet, teasing warmth. "I told you you'd pass."

Hinata blushed and smiled shyly. "Yes, you did," she said ruefully. "Thank you. And… you're on your way to becoming a hunter nin. Congratulations." She beamed, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet.

He smiled - she was cute - and said exasperatedly, "I still have a ways to go. But… thanks." Hinata giggled and his smile widened.

And so all six friends stood around, chattering excitedly in the courtyard, as more and more people began filing out around them… and then excited parents and families began showing up… but the six began looking around anxiously.

Naruto had never appeared to them.

Finally, when they were surrounded by crowds of chattering, excited, triumphant families and brand-new preteen ninja… Ami walked up to them, smirking. She was wearing a hitai-ate, as were Kiba and Shino standing seriously behind her.

"He's over there," said Ami, pointing, and she walked away dryly.

The friends looked around, stepping through the crowds to see better… and their faces were horrified. Naruto was sitting a ways away, defeated and depressed with dead, empty eyes, on a tree swing across the courtyard near their usual lunch spot.

He wasn't wearing a hitai-ate.

"Oh my God…" Sakura began.

"He didn't pass," Hinata finished.

"... He couldn't do the Bunshin," Sasuke realized grimly. "Damnit, Naruto!" he exploded suddenly in frustration. "I _told_ you!"

And all six friends hurried over to Naruto's tree swing.

Naruto looked up - and attempted a tiny, sad, tired smile. "Mizuki tried to talk Iruka into letting me pass with a single pathetic clone," he said. "Iruka wouldn't. Said it was a battlefield hazard."

"Naruto… I'm so sorry," said Hinata meaningfully, concerned.

"Oh, it's… it's okay," he said with terrible defeated softness, looking down, though it clearly wasn't. "Congratulations… you guys. I hope you all become ninja teams together. Maybe… you can come back and visit me… here… sometimes."

"Naruto…" Sakura began, but realized she had no idea what to say. Sasuke's teeth were clenched in anger and frustration and solemn sadness.

Shikamaru looked almost as sad and angry. Ino looked furious and uncertain, like she wanted someone to yell at but there was no one she could. Chouji sat down sadly beside Naruto and offered him part of his snack.

Naruto… smiled despite himself, and took a chip. They all knew Chouji usually never shared his food. Naruto's other friends stood symbolically in a little half-circle around his swing.

That was when they overheard what Naruto must have been hearing from the crowds across the courtyard, and they sobered, becoming irrationally upset and angry. All of a sudden it became up-close and personal - Naruto's lonely, ignoble and ignored experiences outside their little group.

Not even Sasuke put up with as much as Naruto did, he realized to himself in that moment, frowning in concern with his eyes wide - he, at least, had respect, wealth, status, and admiration.

Naruto, apparently… didn't.

"I'm a ninja now!"

"That's my son!"

"I'm so proud of you! You'll get your favorite dinner tonight."

Parents… with their kids. The friends looked hesitant. Not only did Naruto look depressed - but Sasuke looked down with his jaw clenched.

Neither of them had a family, the others realized. Sakura and Hinata shared a worried glance, but just as one of them was about to open their mouth to speak… they heard the _other_ kind of talking nobody made any trouble about Naruto overhearing.

The kind that didn't involve Sasuke at all.

Sasuke looked up, eyes widening. Two mothers were gossiping on the edge of the crowd across the courtyard.

"Look at him. That's _the_ kid. I heard he's the only one who didn't pass."

"Hmph! Serves him right! What are those others thinking, being around him like that? Isn't he the one that's not even really human…? What kind of a ninja would he make?! After all, he's a…"

"Shut up! You know it's forbidden to say anything more than that!"

Everyone looked around to Naruto - whose depressed expression hadn't changed. He looked unsurprised. "People say stuff like that… a lot," he admitted softly. "I never know what it means."

"I… didn't know people hated you so much, Naruto," Sakura admitted, frowning in worry.

"Yeah. But it filters down to the kids. The kids just don't understand why they're not supposed to trust me," Naruto admitted quietly, unusually low and open. "I don't know why it happens. Never have been able to figure it out.

"I'm not like Sasuke. I'm just some poor nobody that no ones likes. I guess that sounds whiny… but it's true."

"You… it doesn't make sense, because you're better at connecting with people. You might have it worse than me," Sasuke admitted seriously.

Suddenly, Mizuki walked up to them from the crowds. "Naruto?" he said, looking concerned. "Can I have a talk with you?"

Everyone stepped back and let Naruto leave with the Academy teacher. He was, after all, still a student. But as Mizuki walked away, Sakura frowned and asked, "What are you going to tell him?"

As Naruto walked off campus, Mizuki turned back to them. "I'm going to try to gentle him towards Iruka. You didn't know? Iruka grew up an orphan, too. Big class clown, just like Naruto."

He left them surprised and walked off with Naruto.

Slowly, they turned and frowned worriedly at Iruka. He was standing by the Academy front doors, watching Naruto leave with deadly seriousness, the tiny old Hokage in robes beside him. They were murmuring solemnly to each other.

"I… don't know what to do or say here. I feel like everything is out of our hands, above our heads," Hinata admitted to Sasuke, worried.

"I know. I… I always assumed we'd all make it into the forces together," said Sasuke, looking tired and frustrated. "I… have literally no idea what to do. I can't fight Naruto's way out here."

They shared a glance.

"I know… and I wish I could," said Hinata, simply and sadly.

Sakura took out her phone and texted Gaara. She didn't know what else to do. Somehow, she thought he'd be able to make her feel better.

 _One of my friends didn't pass. It's… upsetting._

Back in Suna, Gaara saw the text and blinked at it in surprise. _Why? If he didn't deserve to pass, he didn't._

 _Imagine how you'd feel if I didn't pass. Wouldn't it be different?_

He tried to picture it… and suddenly a lot of emotions came to mind. Disbelief. Confusion. Anger. And… yes, upset. _Ah. I see_ , he texted back. He paused for a minute, frowning, trying to figure out what to say. _I am not experienced at caring for people, especially not those weaker than myself. I suppose what I would have said to you is that it doesn't matter - you would still be my friend anyway._

 _I think he knows that… I hope he knows that. I just don't know what to say or do beyond that._

 _Maybe there's nothing you can do,_ Gaara texted back as gently as he could.

… _Maybe. That sucks._

 _I'm sorry._

They all stopped talking and messaging shortly afterward. They looked up… and ran forward, seeing that the crowd wanted them back and the families had arrived.

In Suna, Gaara was approached by his two siblings and swept off coldly. "Father wants you." Temari smirked sardonically. "Congratulations. You passed."

And they left behind the tentative, fearful Suna Academy students, heading off toward the Kazekage's quarters.

Back in Konoha, Naruto's lonely, empty tree swing swung faintly in the breeze.

* * *

But something strange happened. All six friends were gathered outside the doors of the Hokage's office with its vast gold-gilded desk that evening.

"Do you know what we're being called in for? It can't be a mission," said Shikamaru in bewilderment.

"Yeah, I mean… we just graduated, right?" said Ino worriedly. "We don't even have teams or assignments yet… I had finished celebrating my graduation with my family back at home and gone to bed. Then I got a summons from an ANBU Black Op and I was called here alone."

"Same here," said Chouji worriedly, and everyone nodded.

"You know what we all have in common?" said Sasuke, deadly serious. "... We're all friends with Naruto. And we all just graduated when he didn't."

"You think that has something to do with it?" said Hinata, frowning worriedly.

"I think we'd better hope Naruto hasn't done something stupid," said Sasuke darkly.

"Well…" Sakura took a deep, bracing breath. "No time like the present. Let's head on in."

And they went through the double doors together, into the office… which was empty and dark. They looked around, puzzled.

"In here!" the Hokage's voice called. They walked into a little anteroom off of the office, and found him sitting before a tiny, purple cloth table with something that looked like a crystal ball sitting atop it. "This," he said, as they gathered around it, "is a scrying crystal. It is my own personal property. I can use it to see anything happening within my own village."

They looked through the crystal… and saw Naruto, who looked like he'd been training out in a forest. He was knelt, breathing hard, a massive scroll strapped to his back.

"... Why is Naruto like that?" said Sasuke in a tone of false calm.

"Because he stole a scroll of forbidden jutsu out of my office tonight and ran off with it." Their eyes widened. "Ninja have been sent out after him - including Mizuki and Iruka.

"Here is what interests me: that forest is on the edge of the village. He hasn't left. It's like he's not aware he's doing anything wrong, training with a jutsu from that scroll inside our boundaries."

"But even Naruto's not that stupid," said Sasuke, frowning.

"... Which means he was talked into it by somebody else. He's not alone," Sakura breathed in realization.

"I called you all in here, because you are his friends, and I want you to see this," said the Hokage with deadly seriousness. "Look through the scrying crystal with me. I believe something important is about to happen, amidst all the adult ninja who have been sent out after Naruto."

And so all six new Genin watched, eyes wide, as it all unfolded through the scrying crystal before them:

Suddenly, Iruka leaped into the clearing. "Hello, _Naruto_ ," he said, icy, smiling and infuriated.

But Naruto stood and chuckled sheepishly, seemingly oblivious, like it was all just some dumb prank. "Wow, you found me," he said. "And I only managed to learn one of the jutsu from this scroll.

"But! I'm going to show it to you, and it's amazing! And you'll pass me into Genin if I do it correctly, right?" he said brightly, beaming.

"Who… told you I'd do that…?" said Iruka slowly, paling, true alarm coming over his features.

"Mizuki-sensei!" said Naruto innocently. "When he led me away from the Academy! He told me about the secret second Genin test, this meeting place - everything!"

Horrified realization passed across Iruka's face.

Just then, weapons flew out from the nearby underbrush, trying to kill Naruto and Iruka before anything could happen.

Iruka pushed Naruto out of the way, but was caught in the process himself. Naruto fell to the ground unharmed, but Iruka was shoved up against a wall of the wood spy outpost inside the moonlit forest clearing, taking several kunai and shuriken including one to the knee so he couldn't move properly. He leaned back, pained, against the wooden wall.

And then Mizuki came up smirking onto a tree branch at the edge of the clearing, his voice smug.

"I'm surprised you found the place where I decided to meet the kid… Iruka. Nicely done. It'll get you as dead as he's about to be, but nicely done."

"I see," said Iruka grimly. "So that's how it is."

"Naruto," Mizuki commanded coldly, "give me the scroll."

"Wait… What's going on here?" Naruto was looking between the two men in confusion and wide-eyed alarm.

"Naruto, don't give it to him!" Iruka called, glaring upward at Mizuki. "There is no secret second Genin test! Mizuki lied to you! He wanted that scroll of forbidden powerful jutsu for himself, so he used you as a scapegoat to get it! He was planning on getting here and just making you and the scroll disappear!"

Naruto looked up slowly… and snarled silently, glaring daggers at Mizuki.

But Mizuki laughed harshly. "Naruto - Iruka's afraid of you having the power inside that scroll. You realize that, don't you?"

"Don't listen, Naruto, he's trying to fool you!" Iruka barked in alarm.

"Fool him? I'll do him a big favor. I'm the only one who's going to tell him the truth," said Mizuki with a wide, cruel grin.

" _Mizuki, no!"_ Iruka screamed, but one of his knees was blown and he couldn't move forward.

"We all know the story of the Fourth Hokage, and how he sealed the fox demon away in secret that night twelve years ago, dying in the process," said Mizuki, continuing on ruthlessly, looking coldly amused. "You never found it curious? That they never tell you what he sealed the demon into?

"You were born that day, Naruto, weren't you? Orphaned at birth in the attack?"

Naruto still looked confused.

"Here, I'll give you some help," Mizuki sneered. "After the attack was over, the newly reinstated Third Hokage made a law. Part of the law was that you, Naruto, were never allowed to know it existed."

"... What was it? What was the law?!" Naruto demanded, suddenly angry and afraid.

"Don't, Mizuki!" Iruka called desperately.

But Mizuki steamrolled on. "The law stated that no one in Konoha was ever allowed to talk about one fact. People weren't allowed to talk about it to each other. People weren't allowed to tell their children. No one your age knows, because no one was ever allowed to say anything.

"And that fact is that you, Naruto, are a new incarnation of the demon fox. _It's sealed inside of you."_

Naruto's eyes slowly widened - horror and realization dawning over his expression.

"That's right. You killed Iruka's parents - he was ten. You destroyed half the village. Congratulations. It's all on your previous incarnation. People have been lying to your face about the truth ever since.

"You never found it weird? That everyone hated you so much? That so much prejudice was allowed to filter down to the other unknowing people your own age? That you were so avoided and alone?"

Tears had filled Naruto's eyes, furious tears, his face twisted. "No," he said quietly, and then repeated, "No, no, no!" He was losing his head. He was crouched in a hunched stance, furious blue chakra energy emanating out around his form.

Iruka was watching in horror, Mizuki in satisfaction.

"Nobody accepts you," said Mizuki vindictively, "and nobody ever will. You'll never become _Hokage_. Iruka hates you! You know that's why he failed you, you've known it all along! He never helped you more, because secretly he blames you for killing his family.

"Die, Naruto!"

And Mizuki took a giant fuuma shuriken from his back and threw it with precision aim right at Naruto's body, attempting to cleave him in half. Naruto scrambled away, but he wasn't going to make it in time -

" _Naruto, get down!"_ Iruka screamed. Naruto ducked on instinct, Iruka threw himself forward -

And the fuuma shuriken pierced right through Iruka's back.

Naruto looked up slowly in horrified wonder from the ground… as Iruka knelt above him, shielding and protecting him, coughing up blood.

"... Why?" Naruto finally whispered. "Why would you save… me?"

"... Because you and I are the same," Iruka admitted quietly.

And then he explained:

"After my parents died… I was all alone. No one ever said they were proud of me, no one supported me or was there for me. I have to admit, I was never a great ninja. People made fun of me a lot. Some of them still do. I've… always been a rather untalented, emotional dork. Teaching is the only thing I'm good at, in the end.

"So I worked off of that - I played off of that, played the part of the class clown to get noticed. I was never good enough to be noticed through talent… so I was noticed through goofing off instead. Being laughed at was better than being forgotten - or ignored.

"My main social connection for many years was through people laughing at my stupid antics. And it was… really lonely.

"It's lonely, isn't it, Naruto? Being like that?"

Iruka was crying. Actual tears were streaming down his face, and his voice kept breaking off. Naruto just stared up at him, for once without words.

"You were lonely, too, weren't you? You were suffering inside. And I let my resentment of the Kyuubi demon that had killed my parents… keep me from helping you in the way that I should have.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. If I'd been a better teacher, a better person… maybe it would never have come to this. I was so happy… when I saw you making friends. But that wasn't enough, was it? You needed an adult.

"And I could have been that adult… and I wasn't. I'm sorry," Iruka sobbed.

It was probably the first time anyone had ever apologized to Naruto for treating him the way that they did.

But then Mizuki broke the moment. "Don't make me laugh! Do you really trust anyone, Iruka especially, to forgive you?! He probably just wants the scroll back!"

And that seed of doubt was all that needed to be planted in Naruto's alone, distrusting mind. His face closed up… and he ran off into the underbrush as Iruka called after him.

Mizuki ran after Naruto… and Iruka stood with effort, pulled the knife from his leg and the fuuma shuriken from his back, and ran as best as he could after Mizuki.

Still trying, through his limp and his injured back, to save his student.

From the office, the Hokage spoke solemnly. "Well… Mizuki has a big mouth," he said flatly, displeased. "You six should know what is on everyone's minds. If Naruto tries to take revenge on the village with that scroll… or, God forbid, tries to unseal what is inside him… we will have no choice but to take him out. With that scroll, he can do either one."

"Naruto wouldn't do that!" Sakura snapped testily.

"We have to go out after him," said Sasuke tonelessly, tense, pale, and wide-eyed.

"No!" the Hokage snapped. "You will wait right here! I do not know what your presence would do at this point, and there are too many unknown factors out there as it is!"

"... Come on, Naruto," Shikamaru whispered, staring into the scrying crystal.

"... He needs to hear Iruka say something positive," Hinata realized softly, wide-eyed. "He needs to hear Iruka say something good while Iruka thinks he isn't around! He needs to realize Iruka forgives him and accepts him, even though he holds the Kyuubi!"

And so they all looked desperately into the crystal as the scene continued…

Mizuki did a Henge into Iruka, but Iruka did a Henge into Naruto. They found each other, leaping parallel amongst the trees of the forest.

"Naruto!" the supposed Iruka called out. "Everything Mizuki said is a lie! Give me that scroll! Mizuki is after it!"

The supposed Naruto threw himself at the supposed Iruka, hit him in the abdomen, and they both went crashing to opposite sides of the underbrush in a clearing below.

When they'd landed, the supposed Iruka began, "... Why, Naruto…?" Then he turned and transformed back into Mizuki. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" he demanded viciously.

The supposed Naruto transformed back into Iruka, leaning weakly against a tree and smirking. "I'm Iruka," he panted.

But unbeknownst to either of them, the real Naruto had found them. Clutching the massive scroll, he crept up unnoticed behind a large tree at the edge of the clearing… and listened into what Iruka and Mizuki were saying beyond.

"What's in this for you?" Mizuki asked Iruka. "Why would you be protecting the one that killed your family?"

"I'm not going to let someone as evil as you get that scroll!" said Iruka fiercely. But he was prone weakly against the tree, unable to move, Mizuki stood tall above him -

And they both knew it. Iruka's time was running out.

"And you really don't think Naruto is any less evil than I am?" said Mizuki caustically. "The person who carries that scroll has the power to do whatever they truly desire. The demon fox - there is no way he wouldn't use that power for his own ends!"

"... Maybe you'd be right," Iruka began. Naruto's face contracted; his friends back in the office gasped softly… And then Iruka continued, " _If_ Naruto were the demon fox.

"But he isn't.

"People aren't what they carry, Mizuki, or what they started out as. They are what they decide to be. And Naruto is… human. He is one of my most prized students.

"He works very hard - harder than anyone gives him credit for. And yes, he has a one-track mind, and no, he's not naturally all that brilliant and talented. But because he went so long with no one accepting him, with being looked down upon, he can understand and relate to the suffering of others - to _human_ suffering. And Naruto's real power is that he can use it as a kind of empathy, to connect in a special way with other people. His childish earnestness… is something to be treasured, not looked down upon. The things other people insult are the exact things that will one day make him strong.

"He is not the demon fox. He is Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Village of Konoha!"

Naruto was crying.

None of his friends had ever seen that before. Hidden curled up with the scroll among the massive roots of the tree he had hidden behind, weeping tears of joy were streaming down his face. He was sniffling very softly, desperate with relief and emotion and acceptance.

Back in the clearing, Mizuki reacted.

"You're so gullible, Iruka," he scoffed. "You always were, ever since we were kids. I've changed my mind.

"You die first!"

And then, irrationally infuriated by something indefinable, Mizuki's face twisted as he threw the other giant fuuma shuriken from behind his back straight at Iruka.

Iruka knew he wouldn't get away in time, so he didn't try. A tired, peaceful, accepting little smile came over his face as he watched the fuuma shuriken spin itself at him…

But Naruto wasn't about to let that happen.

He threw himself into the clearing and blocked the fuuma shuriken, tossing it away spinning into the trees harmlessly. Then he landed in front of Iruka, snarling, in a stance. Iruka stared at him in honest surprise.

"You so much as touch my Sensei," Naruto snarled in a deadly voice, "and I'll kill you!"

He put the scroll back behind him - within Iruka's reach.

In the office, the Hokage relaxed.

"I'll finish a kid like you in one attack!" Mizuki promised.

"Try it, and I'll return it tenfold!" This sounded like a big, dramatic, empty threat - until Naruto put his hands in an unfamiliar hand seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"No way," said Sasuke in disbelief back in the office.

"What is it?" Ino asked.

"The Kage Bunshin… takes incredible chakra. It makes real, physical copies of the fighter, not illusory ones. The Tajuu Kage Bunshin… is the mass shadow clone technique. Kage Bunshin on a wide scale. He's trying to do something forbidden from the scroll," Sasuke breathed, his eyes wide. "The one technique he says he learned. But if he failed the exam because of the _regular_ Bunshin..."

But back in the clearing, it worked.

An orange blur appeared around Mizuki… followed by hundreds of perfect physical copies of Naruto. Surrounding Mizuki from all sides. Everywhere.

Mizuki looked around in silent horror… as all the Naruto clones as one gave a slow, evil, shit-eating grin.

"What was that you said," they all said as one, "about finishing me off in one attack?"

Mizuki's face was white. His mouth opened and closed silently like a fish's. He had finally been rendered speechless.

Mizuki hadn't been expecting for Naruto to actually have succeeded in learning something from the scroll.

"Well, if you're not coming, we're going!" the clones all echoed cheerfully, vicious.

And then Naruto, back behind them with Iruka, said it, his face deadly: _"Charge_."

And in a thunderous herd, all the Shadow Clones threw themselves at a screaming Mizuki and began ripping him limb from limb.

* * *

Afterward, when all the clones had dissipated, Naruto walked up to a bloody, unconscious, limb-torn Mizuki on the ground… and grinned.

"Guess I lost my temper," he said cheerfully, totally unrepentant.

"Note to self: remind me never to piss off Naruto," Shikamaru muttered back in the office, and Sasuke smirked.

Back in the clearing, Naruto looked up. "With some medical help, are you going to be okay, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Iruka confirmed, smiling with exasperated fondness, "I'll be okay.

"Hey, Naruto. Come on over here. Sit right there and close your eyes for a minute. I want to give you something."

Confused, Naruto slowly went over and knelt down before Iruka… and everyone back at the office gasped in delight as Iruka slowly took off his battered old hitai-ate, and wrapped it around Naruto's forehead.

"Iruka-sensei? Can I look yet?" Naruto asked impatiently, his little nose wrinkled in frustration and confusion.

"Okay." Iruka smiled and sat back. "Open them."

Naruto's eyes opened. He saw Iruka's empty forehead… and slowly reached up, awed, to touch the band wrapped around his own.

"Congratulations, graduate," said Iruka cheerfully. "You officially pass into Genin."

Naruto just stared, wordless, floored.

"What? It only makes sense. Kage Bunshin is even more useful than regular Bunshin. You passed everything else. I literally have no reason to fail you.

"Now, what do you say we celebrate with your favorite?" Iruka smiled secretively. "After we get all this back to the Hokage and I get medical help… ramen at Ichiraku's. On me. How does that sound?"

Naruto's lip trembled… and he threw his arms around a surprised Iruka's waist and began sobbing, shoulders shaking, silently into his flak vest. He would get what the other children had gotten, after all.

Iruka shouted out in surprise… then smiled, and hugged Naruto back.

"I was going to lecture you on how it's only going to get harder from here, now that you're an official ninja," he said gently. "But maybe that can wait till the ramen shop."

Back in the office, everyone relaxed in relief, smiling warmly.

"Naruto's pardoned, right?" Hinata asked the Hokage in concern.

"Oh, yes," said the Hokage, smiling fondly down at the crystal. "He was fooled by a teacher, a ninja his senior. Pardoned and passed, I think.

"It all worked out, after all."

* * *

Iruka passed with ANBU Black Ops into the big, whitish, rectangular hospital out the window below, through the doors. Naruto came back into the main desk part of the office with the Hokage, the scroll clutched safely in the Hokage's grasp…

And Sakura ran forward and threw her arms around Naruto. Naruto paused in surprise.

"We saw," said Hinata gently, "through Hokage-sama's scrying crystal. And it's fine. We still care about you."

"And… you guys don't see me any differently?" Naruto blinked uncertainly, surprised.

"No, Naruto," said Sakura in exasperated fondness, standing back, her eyes a bit damp. "You're still the same goofball to us."

"Congratulations on passing," said Sasuke with quiet warmth. "One more step on the road to becoming Hokage, right?"

Naruto slowly brightened… and beamed. "Yeah! That's right!" he cheered enthusiastically.

"Man, I can't believe not even I figured it out," said Shikamaru, frowning. "Treating you badly all those years… I'm genuinely disappointed in my intellect." He sounded amusingly offended.

"And for Shikamaru, to be disappointed in any performance of his is a big deal," said Ino dryly, amused. "Nah, don't worry, kid. You're still a nerd." She shrugged to Naruto philosophically.

"We gotta have an eating contest," said Chouji frankly. "I want to see how I measure up against a jinchuuriki demon container."

Naruto paused… and smiled. "Sounds good," he admitted. "So… we're all ninja?"

"Yeah." Sasuke smiled. "We're all ninja."

* * *

As Sasuke and Hinata were walking back toward their separate homes that night, down the dark, quiet, lamp-lit streets, they discussed what had happened.

"A lot of things make more sense now," Sasuke admitted. "I guess I've been underestimating Naruto for a long time. You never did, though." He looked over sideways at Hinata curiously. "What did you see that no one else did?"

"A good person," said Hinata, giving a little smile down at the ground, "who tried really hard even when nobody thought he could do it. Someone with the power to make other people feel better, and believe in themselves.

"That's what I saw."

"And… does this change your feelings about him?" Sasuke asked slowly in dread.

"... No," Hinata admitted, gazing thoughtfully and cheerfully up at the stars. "I'm glad I got to know him… before all the stressful stuff happened. Gives me a clearer picture of him on an interpersonal level.

"I bet Sakura can say the same thing about you," said Hinata, smiling gently over at Sasuke. "I think we both realized where we were better off."

Sasuke relaxed and smiled back, feeling a gentle, tender kind of fondness - a love, he knew, that he shouldn't be feeling - as they walked the streets together back toward where they separated to their different compounds.

* * *

Sakura called Gaara back in her bedroom that night.

He picked up after a few rings. "... Hello?" He sounded surprised. "I thought you'd be asleep."

"Late night with the Hokage. I just found out something about someone… one of my friends." Sakura's frown was obvious in her voice. "I… I can't give you much information, and you'll understand why in a minute.

"We have someone here, that not many people are aware of. Someone like you."

Gaara stilled entirely. "... Someone like me? You mean… a jinchuuriki?" he said softly, morbidly fascinated.

"... Yeah," Sakura admitted, wincing over the phone. "A secret one. One of my friends, and I never knew."

"Are you in danger?" Gaara straightened, his tone dark.

"No," said Sakura. "He's not going to hurt me."

"Is it… the same kid who supposedly failed?"

"Yeah. I just got the full story. It's been… a weird day and a weird night.

"Anyway, I can't say much more, but let's just say he passed specially. And me and some other close friends just found out the truth about him. What… is there anything I can say…?" Sakura struggled to find the words. "What do I say to make him feel better?"

Gaara relaxed. "You… are an amazingly good person," he said wearily. "That is not what most people would be asking."

"Don't say anything to anyone," said Sakura worriedly.

"Don't worry, I won't, I'm far more loyal to you than I am to anyone here," said Gaara scathingly.

"Thanks. But… what do I say? Do?" Sakura wondered.

"Okay. Umm." Gaara sat back, his voice hoarse from late at night, trying to think there in his compound bedroom on his bed. "... Honestly, I'd never considered that there were others like me out there before.

"But there must be. There are nine of us - nine demons. There's me, and your friend, and seven others out there in the world. Just… factually.

"Sorry, I'm rambling, I'm trying to think.

"Look. I guess the most I can say is that you should always accept him. Be there for him. Jinchuuriki suffer… mostly from the kind of prejudice that means hatred and loneliness. The natural antidote to that…

"Is what you offered me," he finished softly.

"Connection and love," Sakura realized to herself, not fully thinking in that moment about what she was saying.

Gaara felt himself gentle, impossibly tender. Never before had he wanted to treat someone so well, such the opposite of violently. Never before had he wanted to protect someone, touch them, hold them and cradle them.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Exactly. Just… don't go replacing me, okay?" He smiled worriedly.

To his relief, Sakura laughed. "Oh, don't worry, he's nothing like you. Total dork," she said cheerfully. "He doesn't act… like what you'd expect. Hides behind smiles. It's why it surprised me so much."

"Well… be careful," Gaara warned. "When it gets down to it…

"Those are the trigger tempers you want to watch out for."

"... Okay," said Sakura softly. "Thanks.

"Next, I guess, come ninja team assignments. You know who you'll be with?"

"Yeah, my siblings," said Gaara dismissively, "and Baki, my father's advisor. I'm more interested… in who _you'll_ be with."

"Look at us," said Sakura, smiling. "We're on our way.

"I wonder when our time will come, for our future, for the big moment for each of us."

* * *

Author's Notes: Aaaand... scene.

That's it, the end of book one of this little series. My head canon is that book two will be the Wave mission and focus on SasuHina (but have GaaSaku) while book three will be the Chuunin Exams and focus on GaaSaku (but have SasuHina). I will let you know when book two is up.

Thank you for being with me on this incredible, emotional, taxing journey. The reviews ranged from absolutely wonderful - most of you guys were so freaking awesome! - to downright horrible.

The anonymous guest who wrote "Kill yourself virgin" was my personal favorite on the bad scale. They reviewed right after reading the awkward teenage wet dreams in chapter nine, which I think says more about them than it does about me. I would just like to let that guy know that I'm 24 with a job and a degree, I know what kinks I like, I know how to pleasure myself, and I've had boyfriends, but I'm pretty sure he's a virgin. I would also like him to know that I laughed for a good two minutes after reading his review.

But for the most part? Totally freaking awesome reviews. You guys are so good to me.

I hope you stay with me for the rest of the books. It's going to be a fun, wild ride. I will start posting book two after I've finished writing it.


	12. Ending Music Credits Playlist

Author's Note: I decided to make the ending music credits playlist its own section, realizing it's as much for the story as it is for the pairings. I will try to make sure each book has an ending music credits playlist. In future, feel free to write me if you have any ideas for a song that would go well with any future story.

Random side note, I fixed a couple of typos in the last chapter. I didn't actually change any content, though.

* * *

Music Ending Credits - Heavy Lyrical Emphasis

SasuHina, GaaSaku Story Playlist:

"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

"The Louvre" by Lorde

"Your Are In Love" by Taylor Swift

"Evermore" from Beauty and the Beast

"King Of My Heart" by Taylor Swift

"I See The Light" from Tangled

"Let It Go" from Frozen

"Days In The Sun" from Beauty and the Beast

"Begin Again" by Taylor Swift

"Love Story" by Taylor Swift

"The Way I Loved You" by Taylor Swift

"New Romantics" by Taylor Swift

"Ours" by Taylor Swift

"Delicate" by Taylor Swift

"Gorgeous" by Taylor Swift

"Dress" by Taylor Swift

"Call It What You Want" by Taylor Swift

"New Year's Day" by Taylor Swift

"So It Goes..." by Taylor Swift

"Mine" by Taylor Swift

"Blank Space" by Taylor Swift

"Style" by Taylor Swift

"Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift

"Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran

"Nancy Mulligan" by Ed Sheeran

"Hearts Don't Break Around Here" by Ed Sheeran

"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran

"From Eden" by Hozier

"White Horse" by Taylor Swift

"Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash

"Fifteen" by Taylor Swift

"Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw

"Roller Coaster" by Luke Bryan

"Wonderland" by Taylor Swift

"She's the Prettiest Girl at the Party, and She Can Prove it with a Solid Right Hook" by frnkiero and the cellabration

"One Time" by Marian Hill

"Castle On The Hill" by Ed Sheeran

"... Ready For It?" by Taylor Swift


End file.
